what exactly is the mercury problem? david gay (217) 244-0462 [email protected],

What Exactly IS the Mercury Problem?

David Gay(217) 244-0462

[email protected], http://nadp.sws.uiuc.edu

D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 2

Goals for this Talk

1.What is the Mercury problem?

2.Where and When?

3.Why?


What is the Mercury Problem?


Primarily A Health Concern

• Neurological Disorders•Persistent bioaccumulative neurotoxin•Large problem in children to about age 7

• Birth defects• learning disabilities

•Problem in adults under certain conditions

• Other Disorders:•Kidney disorders•Possible human carcinogen


Examples….

• Industry• “Mad Hatters”

• With very high concentrations in water• 1960s Japan, daily fish consumption near industrial

processing• Minimata, 111 deaths• Nigata, 120 deaths

• 1970s, Iraq and contaminated grain• alkyl mercury fungicide seed mistakenly used to prepare

bread• more than 6,500 Iraqis hospitalized with neurological

symptoms• 459 died


Focus is typically….• Children and fetuses

• Neurotoxicity: have no blood-brain barrier to mercury

• Kidney disease• Others have been mentioned (autism, etc.)• NHANES ≈ children with 5.8 ug/L, still unknown

• Potentially pregnant Women who could pass on Hg to fetus

CDC's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)


The Problem is not Elemental Mercury…

(its Methyl Mercury)


Bioaccumulation of methyl mercury

Bacterial action(water and sediment)

Zooplankton Small fish predatory fish

Water Body/pore water

Me-Mercury

Concentration

Dry Deposition

Wet Deposition Geologic Sources(soil, rock, base flow etc.)

Methylation

Hg Hg Hg

Through Fall(wet+dry)

Litter Fall


So if Fish Are the Problem, then..

Where is the problem?Which fish are the problem?


See EPA Mercury Site for your State/Nationwww.epa.gov/

mercury


1 meal per month

2 meals per month

3 meals per month

4-8 meals per month


From E. Sutherland, USEPA


Fish Repeatedly Mentioned

• Shark• King Mackerel• Tilefish• Swordfish• Grouper• Limit tuna consumption


Federal Drug Administration Advise……

• Pregnant women and women of childbearing age• Limit consumption of shark and swordfish to

1/month, particularly during the 1st trimester.• Limit consumption other higher-concentration fish.

• Others• Limit regular consumption of high concentration

fish, such as shark and swordfish to about 7 ounces per week (about one serving).

• For fish < 0.5 ppm Hg, regular consumption should be limited to about 14 ounces per week.


Where is the Mercury Coming

From?


Total Deposition, In Summary

• Atmospheric transport and deposition is the dominant pathway to most aquatic ecosystems.

• Between 40 and 75% of the mercury input to lakes and streams is by wet deposition

• probably less in the West, where dry deposition dominates.(Sorensen et al., 1997; Scherbatskoy et al., 1997; Lamborg et al., 1995; Mason et al., 1997; Landis and Keeler, 2002; Mercury 2006 Committee Statement)

• “New” mercury is more likely converted to organic form than “old” mercury


Total Deposition is..

•Wet deposition + (good data)

•Dry deposition + (very little data)

•Litterfall + (very little data)

•Throughfall + (very little data)

•Methyl mercury deposition (very little data)

•Geological input (very little data)


Seigneur and others, ES&T, 2004, V38, 555-569

Modeled Dry Deposition


Regional Average Mercury Deposition

0.01.02.03.04.0

5.06.07.08.0

MW NE OH SE All

Region

Dep

ositi

on (u

g/m

2sea

s)

Win Spr Sum Fall


Eastern North American Deposition Timelines

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

4500

Mar

-97Ju

l-98

Dec-99

Apr-01

Sep-

02

Jan-04

May

-05

Oct-06

Dep

(ng

/m2

wee

k)

ME02

NY20

MA01

Eastern North America Deposition Timelines

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

4500

Mar

-97Ju

l-98

Dec-99

Apr-01

Sep-

02

Jan-04

May

-05

Oct-06

Dep

(ng

/m2

wee

k)

NS01

PA90

FL34


Trends in Mercury Concentrations


Where is Mercury Coming From?

Who is to blame?


How Mercury is Wet Deposited?

Hgo

RGMHgp

Hgp

RGM

HgoHgp

RGM

rainout

washout

Oxidation (long lifetime)


Atmospheric Mercury Species Abundance

Hg0 – Elemental Mercury

RGM – Reactive Gaseous Mercury

Hgp – Particulate Bound Mercury

Typical Atm. Mercury Species Abundance

1.4-1.81.4-1.8ng/mng/m33


Sources of Mercury• Coal combustion• Incineration

• Medical• Trash• Cremation

• Industrial emissions (chlor-alkali)• Cement production (Hg in lime)• Mining

• Hg use in gold and silver mining (amalgam formation)

• Mining for Hg• taconite

• Automobile Recycling• Mercury in Landfills

• Fluorescent lamps• dental amalgams (also in sewers)• Thermometers• Batteries• Discarded electrical switches

• Others will surface• Other carbon fossil fuels (gas/oil/diesel)?

• Volcanoes (St. Helens)• Naturally enriched ores/soils

• Plate tectonic boundaries• Cinnabar (HgS), taconite, others

• Soils and rocks (0.08 to 0.5 ppm in crust)• Evaporation

• Soils• Fresh water and OCEANS

• Natural forest fires • Tree bark (wood fire places)• soils

• Volatilization from rocks?• Wind Blown reintroduction

• Mine tailings• Industrial contaminated soils

• Evolving Gases• Mines, industrial areas• Waste facilities (municipal in particular)• Out of soil


U.S. Atmospheric Emissions(metric tons per year)

Sources Elemental MercuryHg(0)

Oxidized MercuryHg(II)

Particulate MercuryHg(p)

Total Mercury

Coal Burning 38 23 15 76 (45%)

Incinerators 11 33 11 55 (33%)

Other Point Sources

24 4 2 30 (18%)

Area Sources 7 0 0 7 ( 4%)

Total 80 (48%) 60 (36%) 28 (16%) 168


Global Emissions(metric tons per year)

SourceBergen et

al.Mason &

Sheu Lamborg et. al.Seigneur et

al. Average

Man-made

direct 2160 2400 . 2143 2234

re-emitted 2000 2090 4800 1067 2489

Natural

from land 500 810 1000 1805 1029

from oceans 1400 1300 600 1396 1174

Total 6060 6600 6400 6411

6,368


Measurements We Can Make

(or what you can look for)


Mercury Deposition Network

• A Cooperative Research Program

• Part of National Atmospheric Deposition Network

• 109 sites

• Federal, State, Local and Tribal governments members, private organizations

• Measuring wet deposition of mercury


NADP’s Goal

• To monitor the chemistry of precipitation (rain and snow)

consistently and as accurately as we can, for long periods to determine

changes over time (trends).

Tribal Organization

s

Yurok Tribe; Sac and Fox Nation; Pennobscot;Yurok Tribe; Sac and Fox Nation; Pennobscot;Grand Traverse Band of Ottowa & Chippewa Grand Traverse Band of Ottowa & Chippewa Indians;Indians;Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe; Akwesasne Mohawk Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe; Akwesasne Mohawk Tribe; Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe; Makah Tribe; Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe; Makah Nation;Nation;Quinault Indian NationQuinault Indian Nation

dgay

Yurok TribeSac and FoxPennobscotGrand Traverse Band of Ottowa & Chippewa IndiansMille Lacs Band of OjibweAkwesasne Mohawk TribeCheyenne River Sioux TribeMakah Nation/USGSQuinault Indian Nation

http://www.wabanaki.com/

http://www.millelacsojibwe.org/

http://www.penobscotnation.org/indextemp.htm

Federal Agency

Members


States and Tribal

Organizations

University

Members

http://www.eku.edu/eku2000.htm

http://www.muohio.edu/

http://www.psu.edu/

http://www.oswego.edu/

http://www.unh.edu/orps/welcome.au

http://www.upr.clu.edu/englishv2/seal.htm

http://www.virginia.edu/index.html

Other Research

Organizations

http://www.ec.gc.ca/


Mercury Deposition Network (MDN)

Collects one-week precipitation-only sampleswith MDN wet-dry collector

Measures precipitation with gage

AnalysesTotal MercuryMethyl Mercury


Monitoring Sites


Dry Deposition

?


NADP’s Plan:

1. A Working Group FormedEric Presto NADP Vice-Chair - TekranMartin Risch NADP NOS Chair - USGSDavid Schmeltz EPA Clean Air Markets Div.Tim Sharac EPA Clean Air Markets Div.David Gay NADP-MDN Coordinator

2. Review scientific methods for measuring or estimating dry deposition of mercury,

3. Determine if these methods can be formalized into a network operation, and

4. Develop the Network Plan (currently here)

5. Present this network plan for NADP acceptance.


Candidate 2007-8 NADP Atmospheric Hg Network Sites


For more information

http://nadpweb.sws.uiuc.edu/amn/

David Gay, [email protected]


What Exactly IS the Mercury Problem?

David Gay(217) 244-0462

[email protected], http://nadp.sws.uiuc.edu

what exactly is the mercury problem? david gay (217) 244-0462 [email protected],

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