In pursuit of riches and energy over the last 5,000 years, humans have released into the environment 385,000 tons of mercury, the source of numerous health concerns, according to a new study that challenges the idea that releases of the metal are on the decline.
That is a conclusion of a study published in the last issue of the ACS journal
Environmental Science & Technology for this year.
Mercury sample from the Dennis s.k collection
|
David Streets and colleagues explain that humans put mercury into the
atmosphere by burning fossil fuels and through mining and industrial
processes. Mercury is present in coal and the ores used to extract copper, gold
and silver. Much information exists about recent releases of mercury,
but there is little information on releases in the past. To find out how
much impact people have had over the centuries, the scientists
reconstructed human additions of mercury to the atmosphere using
historical data and computer models.
Their research shows that mercury emissions peaked during the North
American gold and silver rushes in the late 1800s, but after a decline
in the middle of the 20th century, are quickly rising again thanks
mostly to a surge in coal use. They report that Asia has overtaken
Europe and America as the largest contributor of mercury. Recent data
suggest that mercury concentrations in the atmosphere are declining, and
this is not consistent with their conclusion of increasing emissions.
Changing atmospheric conditions may be partly responsible, but more work
is also needed to understand the fate of large amounts of mercury in
discarded products like batteries and thermometers. The researchers
predict mercury released from mining and fuel may take as many as 2,000
years to exit the environment and be reincorporated into rocks and
minerals in the Earth.
Source: Adapted from
American Chemical Society (ACS)
The original report
David G. Streets, Molly K. Devane, Zifeng Lu, Tami C. Bond, Elsie M. Sunderland, Daniel J. Jacob,
All-Time Releases of Mercury to the Atmosphere from Human Activities, Environ. Sci. Technol., 2011, 45 (24), pp 10485–10491.
DOI: 10.1021/es202765mRelated reports (newest first)
F. Slemr, E.-G. Brunke,
R. Ebinghaus, J. Kuss,
Worldwide trend of atmospheric mercury since 1995, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 11 (2011) 4779–4787.
doi: 10.5194/acp-11-4779-2011 R. Ebinghaus, S.G. Jennings, H.H. Kock, R.G. Derwent, A.J. Manning, T.G. Spain,
Decreasing trends in total gaseous mercury observations in baseline air at Mace Head, Ireland from 1996 to 2009, Atmos. Environ., 45 (2011) 3475–3480.
doi: 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2011.01.033 Asif Qureshi, Matthew MacLeod, Konrad Hungerbühler,
Quantifying uncertainties in the global mass balance of mercury, Global Biogeochem. Cycles, 25 (2011) GB4012.
doi:10.1029/2011GB004068 Vanessa J. A. Phillips, Vincent L. St. Louis, Colin A. Cooke, Rolf D. Vinebrooke, William O. Hobbs,
Increased Mercury Loadings to Western Canadian Alpine Lakes over the Past 150 Years, Environ. Sci. Technol., 45/6 (2011) 2042–2047.
DOI: 10.1021/es1031135
N. Pirrone, S. Cinnirella, X. Feng, R.B. Finkelman, H.R. Friedli, J. Leaner, R. Mason, A.B. Mukherjee, G.B. Stracher, D.G. Streets, K. Telmer,
Global mercury emissions to the atmosphere from anthropogenic and natural sources, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 10 (2010) 5951-5964.
doi:10.5194/acp-10-5951-2010 E.G. Pacyna, J.M. Pacyna, K. Sundseth, J. Munthe, K. Kindbom, S. Wilson, F. Steenhuisen, P. Maxson,
Global emission of mercury to the atmosphere from anthropogenic sources in 2005 and projections to 2020, Atmos. Environ., 44/20 (2010) 2487-2499.
doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2009.06.009 S. Ribeiro Guevara, M. Meili, A. Rizzo, R. Daga, M. Arribére,
Sediment records of highly variable mercury inputs to mountain lakes in Patagonia during the past millennium, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 10 (2010) 3443– 3453.
doi: 10.5194/acp-10-3443-2010 H. Yang, R.W. Battarbee, S.D. Turner, N.L. Rose, R.G. Derwent, G. Wu, R. Yang,
Historical reconstruction of mercury pollution across the Tibetan Plateau using lake sediments, Environ. Sci. Technol., 44 (2010) 2918– 2924.
doi: 10.1021/es9030408 M.A. Mast, D.J. Manthorne, D.A. Roth,
Historical deposition of mercury and selected trace elements to high-elevation National Parks in the western U.S. inferred from lake-sediment cores, Atmos. Environ., 44 (2010) 2577– 2586.
doi: 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2010.04.024 N.V. Smith-Downey, E.M. Sunderland, D.J. Jacob,
Anthropogenic impacts on global storage and emissions of mercury from terrestrial soils: Insights from a new global model, J. Geophys. Res., 115 (2010) G03008.
doi: 10.1029/2009JG001124 C.D. Holmes, D.J. Jacob, E.S. Corbitt, J. Mao, X. Yang, R. Talbot, F. Slemr,
Global atmospheric model for mercury including oxidation by bromine atoms, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 10 (2010) 12037-12057.
doi:10.5194/acp-10-12037-2010 Y. Wu, D.G. Streets, S.X. Wang, J.M. Hao,
Uncertainties in estimating mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants in China, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 10 (2010) 2937– 2947.
Doi: 10.5194/acp-10-2937-2010 A.S. Cole, A. Steffen,
Trends in long-term gaseous mercury observations in the Arctic and effects of temperature and other atmospheric conditions, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 10 (2010) 4661–4672.
doi: 10.5194/acp-10-4661-2010 C.A. Cooke, P.H. Balcom, H. Biester, A.P. Wolfe,
Over three millennia of mercury pollution in the Peruvian Andes, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 106 (2009) 8830–8834.
doi: 10.1073/pnas.0900517106 D.G. Streets, Q. Zhang, Y. Wu,
Projections of global mercury emissions in 2050, Environ. Sci. Technol., 43 (2009) 2983– 2988.
doi: 10.1021/es802474j S. Strode, L. Jaeglé, N.E. Selin,
Impact of mercury emissions from historic gold and silver mining: Global modeling, Atmos. Environ., 43 (2009) 2012–2017.
doi: 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2009.01.006 N.E. Selin, D.J. Jacob, R.M. Yantosca, S. Strode, L. Jaeglé, E.M. Sunderland,
Global 3-D land-ocean-atmosphere model for mercury: Present-day versus preindustrial cycles and anthropogenic enrichment factors for deposition, Global Biogeochem. Cycles, 22 (2008) GB2011.
DOI: 10.1029/2007GB003040 L.D. Hylander, R.B. Herbert,
Global emission and production of mercury during the pyrometallurgical extraction of nonferrous sulfide ores, Environ. Sci. Technol., 42 (2008) 5971–5977.
doi: 10.1021/es800495g E.M. Sunderland, R.P. Mason,
Human impacts on open ocean mercury concentrations, Global Biogeochem. Cycles, 21 (2007) GB4022,
DOI: 10.1029/2006GB002876 N.E. Selin, D.J. Jacob, R.J. Park, R.M. Yantosca, S. Strode, L. Jaeglé, D. Jaffe,
Chemical cycling and deposition of atmospheric mercury: Global constraints from observations, J. Geophys. Res., 112 (2007) D02308.
doi: 10.1029/2006JD007450. E.G. Pacyna, J.M. Pacyna, F. Steenhuisen, S. Wilson,
Global anthropogenic mercury emission inventory for 2000, Atmos. Environ., 40 (2006) 4048– 4063.
doi: 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2006.03.041 Y. Wu, S. Wang, D.G. Streets, J. Hao, M. Chan, J. Jiang,
Trends in anthropogenic mercury emissions in China from 1995 to 2003, Environ. Sci. Technol., 40 (2006) 5312–5318.
doi: 10.1021/es060406x D.G. Streets, J. Hao, Y. Wu, J. Jiang, M. Chan, H. Tian, X. Feng,
Anthropogenic mercury emissions in China, Atmos. Environ., 39 (2005) 7789–7806.
doi: 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2005.08.029 L.D. Hylander, M. Meili,
The rise and fall of mercury: Converting a resource to refuse after 500 years of mining and pollution, Crit. Rev. Env. Sci. Technol., 35 (2005) 1–36.
doi: 10.1080/10643380490492485 Nicolas Givelet, Fiona Roos-Barraclough and William Shotyk, P
redominant anthropogenic sources and rates of atmospheric mercury accumulation in southern Ontario recorded by peat cores from three bogs: comparison with natural “background” values (past 8000 years), J. Environ. Monit., 5/6 (2003) 935-949.
DOI: 10.1039/B307140E P.F. Schuster, D.P. Krabbenhoft, D.L. Naftz, L.D. Cecil, M.L. Olson, J.F. Dewild, D.D. Susong, J.R. Green, M.L. Abbott,
Atmospheric mercury deposition during the last 270 years: A glacial ice core record of natural and anthropogenic sources, Environ. Sci. Technol., 36 (2002) 2303–2310.
doi: 10.1021/es0157503 C.H. Lamborg, W.F. Fitzgerald, A.W.H. Damman, J.M. Benoit, P.H. Balcom, D.R. Engstrom,
Modern and historic atmospheric mercury fluxes in both hemispheres: Global and regional mercury cycling implications, Global Biogeochem. Cycles, 16 (2002) 1104,
DOI: 10.1029/2001GB001847 J.A. Camargo,
Contribution of Spanish-American silver mines (1570–1820) to the present high mercury concentrations in the global environment: A review, Chemosphere, 48 (2002) 51–57.
doi:10.1016/S0045-6535(02)00047-4 N. Pirrone, I. Allegrini, G.J. Keeler, J.O. Nriagu, R. Rossmann, J.A. Robbins,
Historical atmospheric mercury emissions and depositions in North America compared to mercury accumulations in sedimentary records, Atmos. Environ., 32 (1998) 929–940.
doi: 10.1016/S1352-2310(97)00353-1 L.D. Lacerda,
Global mercury emissions from gold and silver mining, Water, Air, Soil Pollut., 97 (1997) 209–221.
doi: 10.1023/A:1018372505344 J.O. Nriagu,
Mercury pollution from the past mining of gold and silver in the Americas, Sci. Total Environ., 149 (1994) 167– 181.
doi: 10.1016/0048-9697(94)90177-5 J.O. Nriagu,
Legacy of mercury pollution, Nature, 363 (1993) 589.
doi: 10.1038/363589a0 P. Pheiffer-Madsen,
Peat bog records of atmospheric mercury deposition, Nature, 293 (1981) 127– 130.
doi: 10.1038/293127a0
Related EVISA Resources
Link database: Industrial use of mercury and its compounds Link database: Mercury pollution Link database: Environmental cycling of mercury
Related EVISA News
October 15, 2011, Mercury pollution in the Great Lakes region -- nearly forgotten, but not gone August 21, 2009: USGS Study Reveals Mercury Contamination in Fish Nationwide
June 17, 2009: 'Surprisingly High Levels' of Methylmercury Contamination found in Groundwater
May 3, 2009: Ocean mercury on the rise
February 11, 2009: Mercury in Fish is a Global Health Concern
May 3, 2007: More nutritious food helps reduce methylmercury in the aquatic food chain
March 11, 2007: Methylmercury contamination of fish warrants worldwide public warning
February 18, 2007: New research results suggest that mercury hotspots in the northeastern US are home made
October 9, 2006: Linking atmospheric mercury to methylmercury in fish
September 23, 2006: Report Finds Mercury Contamination Permeates Wildlife Systems
August 16, 2006: Mercury pollution threatens health worldwide, scientists say
June 16, 2006: Sulfur fuels the methylation of mercury
February 17, 2006: Study shows link between clear lakes and methylmercury contamination in fish
last time modified: May 17, 2024
