Radojko Jaćimović

Total mercury, methylmercury and selenium in mercury polluted areas in the province Guizhou, China

The province of Guizhou in Southwestern China is currently one of the worlds most important mercury production areas. Emissions of mercury from the province to the global atmosphere have been estimated to be approximately 12% of the world total anthropogenic emissions. The main objective of this study was to assess the level of contamination with Hg in two geographical areas of Guizhou province. Mercury pollution in the areas concerned originates from mercury mining and ore processing in the area of Wanshan, while in the area of Quingzhen mercury pollution originates from the chemical industry discharging Hg through wastewaters and emissions to the atmosphere due to coal burning for electricity production. The results of this study confirmed high contamination with Hg in soil, sediments and rice in the Hg mining area in Wanshan. High levels of Hg in soil and rice were also found in the vicinity of the chemical plant in Quingzhen. The concentrations of Hg decreased with distance from the main sources of pollution considerably. The general conclusion is that Hg contamination in Wanshan is geographically more widespread, due to deposition and scavenging of Hg from contaminated air and deposition on land. In Quingzhen Hg contamination of soil is very high close to the chemical plant but the levels reach background concentrations at a distance of several km. Even though the major source of Hg in both areas is inorganic Hg, it was observed that active transformation of inorganic Hg to organic Hg species (MeHg) takes place in water, sediments and soils. The concentration of Hg in rice grains can reach up to 569 microg/kg of total Hg of which 145 microg/kg was in MeHg form. The percentage of Hg as MeHg varied from 5 to 83%. The concentrations of selenium can reach up to 16 mg/kg in soil and up to 1 mg/g in rice. A correlation exists between the concentration of Se in soil and rice, indicating that a portion of Se is bioavailable to plants. No correlation between Hg and Se in rice was found. Exposure of the local population to Hg may occur due to inhalation of Hg present in air (in particular in Hg mining area) and consumption of Hg contaminated food (in particular rice and fish) and water. Comparison of intake through these different routes showed that the values of Hg considerably exceed the USA EPA Reference Concentration (RfC) for chronic Hg exposure (RfC is 0.0004 mg/m(3)) close to the emission sources. Intake of Hg through food consumption, particularly rice and fish, is also an important route of Hg exposure in study area. In general, it can be concluded that the population mostly at risk is located in the vicinity of smelting facilities, mining activities and close to the waste disposal sites in the wider area of Wanshan. In order to assess the real level of contamination in the local population, it is recommended that biomonitoring should be performed, including Hg and MeHg measurements in hair, blood and urine samples.

LICHENS AS INTEGRATING AIR POLLUTION MONITORS

In this work an attempt to combine the results of lichen mapping with the quantitative levels of certain trace elements in Hypogymnia physodes (L.) Nyl. collected on a national scale is presented. An Index of Atmospheric Purity (IAP) was calculated using a simple method of mapping lichens based on the assessment of the cover and frequency of crustose, foliose and fruticose lichens on different tree species. For determination of trace elements in lichens k0-instrumental neutron activation analysis was used. From the IAP results it can be concluded that the epiphytic lichen flora look quite poor with more than 70% of the territory in the fourth and third classes, which represent highly polluted and moderately polluted air. By comparing IAP results with elemental levels in H. physodes using multivariate statistical methods it was found that the elemental levels do not have a direct negative effect on the diversity of lichens but can help in identification of the type of possible pollution sources and their origin.

k0-NAA quality assessment by analysis of different certified reference materials using the KAYZERO/SOLCOI software

A suite of natural matrix reference materials (RMs) were used to assess the quality of analytical results obtained by k0-instrumental neutron activation analysis (k0-INAA) at the Jožef Stefan Institute (IJS). Five certified reference materials (CRMs) from the Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (IRMM), two standard reference materials (SRMs) from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), three RMs from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and one RM from IJS were analyzed. Altogether, results for twenty-four elements in inorganic matrices and twenty-nine elements in organic matrices, obtained by k0-INAA, were compared to certified values. Results obtained show good agreement with certified or assigned values except for Fe, La, Nd, Sm and U in inorganic matrices, and Ag, Al and Cr in organic matrices.

Determination of sulfur and chlorine in fodder by X-ray fluorescence spectral analysis and comparison with other analytical methods

Abstract Sulfur and chlorine are essential elements in the metabolic processes of ruminants, and correct planning strategy of ruminant nutrition should provide a sufficient content of S and Cl in the animals body. S and Cl can be found in various types of animal fodder in the form of organic compounds and minerals. In this work, the Cl and S content in forage was determined by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF), and its performance was then compared in parallel analyses by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA), inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) and potentiometric methods. The results were compared and critically evaluated in order to assess the performance and capability of the XRF technique in analysis of animal fodder.

Determination of trace elements in tobacco using different techniques of neutron activation analysis

Quantitative data on trace elements in two tobacco leaf (candidate) reference materials OTL-1 and VTL-2 prepared by the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology, Warsaw, Poland, are presented and compard to recommended values, where available. By instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA), as well as by radiochemical technique (RNAA) 30 elements were quantitatively determined and fair agreement was found between the results and recommended values for the first material.

Periphyton as a bioindicator of mercury pollution in a temperate torrential river ecosystem

Mercury presents a potential risk to the environment and humans, especially in its methylated form. It is among the highest priority environmental pollutants. River Idrijca (Slovenia) is highly contaminated with mercury due to past mercury mining. The aim of this work was to investigate whether the periphyton community in rivers such as Idrijca is a suitable indicator of Hg pollution and of changes in mercury methylation and could serve as an early warning system of increased input of MeHg in the food chain. Periphyton is the only site of primary production in temperate torrential rivers such as Idrijca and is therefore an important link in the food chain. It is also a potential site of Hg accumulation and its introduction to higher trophic levels. Our aim was to assess the response of the periphyton to seasonal and spatial variations in mercury levels and to evaluate its potential as an early warning system of changes in mercury reactivity and mobilization The results indicate that periphyton in a torrential river is too complex and unpredictable to be used as a sole indicator of mercury concentrations and changes in the river. Nevertheless, it can complement environmental measurements due to its importance in the riverine food web.

Extsangle : an extension of the efficiency conversion program solang to sources with a diameter larger than that of the Ge-detector

AbstractThe computer program SOLANG, originally developed by MOENS et al. for the efficiency conversion via effective solid angles (Ω), is extended in this work to cylindrical sources with a diameter larger than that of the Ge-detector. New program, named EXTSANGLE, is experimentally checked in our three laboratories. For the most unfavourable case from the standpoint of the accuracy of

Instrumental neutron activation analysis of sediment reference materials using the k0-standardization method

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