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.2017 Feb 1;14(2):138.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph14020138.

Toward an Assessment of the Global Inventory of Present-Day Mercury Releases to Freshwater Environments

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Toward an Assessment of the Global Inventory of Present-Day Mercury Releases to Freshwater Environments

David Kocman et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health..

Abstract

Aquatic ecosystems are an essential component of the biogeochemical cycle of mercury (Hg), as inorganic Hg can be converted to toxic methylmercury (MeHg) in these environments and reemissions of elemental Hg rival anthropogenic Hg releases on a global scale. Quantification of effluent Hg releases to aquatic systems globally has focused on discharges to the global oceans, rather than contributions to freshwater systems that affect local exposures and risks associated with MeHg. Here we produce a first-estimate of sector-specific, spatially resolved global aquatic Hg discharges to freshwater systems. We compare our release estimates to atmospheric sources that have been quantified elsewhere. By analyzing available quantitative and qualitative information, we estimate that present-day global Hg releases to freshwater environments (rivers and lakes) associated with anthropogenic activities have a lower bound of ~1000 Mg· a-1. Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) represents the single largest source, followed by disposal of mercury-containing products and domestic waste water, metal production, and releases from industrial installations such as chlor-alkali plants and oil refineries. In addition to these direct anthropogenic inputs, diffuse inputs from land management activities and remobilization of Hg previously accumulated in terrestrial ecosystems are likely comparable in magnitude. Aquatic discharges of Hg are greatly understudied and further constraining associated data gaps is crucial for reducing the uncertainties in the global biogeochemical Hg budget.

Keywords: mercury, freshwater systems, releases, inventory, global cycling.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Drainage basins of the principal oceans and seas of the world. Description in blue is used for oceans, and black color is used to denote the 15 drainage basins considered in our inventory. Maps used: World Major Rivers (source: ESRI®, Redlands, CA, USA), Drainage Basins (source: compiled by William Rankin (personal communication) based on USGS Hydro1k database (Garretson, SD, USA)).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Release estimates of mercury (Hg) from various point source categories and by drainage basins in 2010 (NFMP: Non-ferrous metal production; DWW: Domestic wastewater).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Estimated releases of Hg from artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) to terrestrial systems (land and water) and surface runoff class [30] for countries with known ASGM activities.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Sum of release estimates associated with anthropogenic activities (point sources, remobilization from contaminated systems and artisanal and small-scale gold mining ASGM) and background Hg release estimates for individual drainage basin. In the case of the sum of anthropogenic sources, we consider proportion of Hg released to land versus water in ASGM operations to be 50%. All units are in Mg·a−1. For illustrative purpose we use log(x + 1) transformation to draw the bars.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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