Mercury Concentrations in Abiotic Materials

Mercury concentrations were highest in lignite coal (0.12mg/kg DW), lowest in sub-bituminous coal (0.03 mg/kg DW) and intermediate (0.07 mg/kg DW) in bituminous coal samples measured. More recent information indicates that coal contains, on an average 0.2 mg Hg/kg and may contain as much as 1.0 mg/kg. Most of the mercury in coal is associated with arsenic-bearing pyrite other forms include organically bound mercurials, elemental mercury, and mercuric sulfides and selenides. In coal samples with low pyrite, mercury selenides may be the primary form. 

It is noteworthy that installation of available pollution control technology can significantly lower mercury concentrations in surface soils near coal-fired power plants in the United 

Kingdom. Thus, surface soils near a coal-fired power plant with a flue gas desulfurization (FGD) system contained 0.297 mg total Hg/kg DW vs. 0.495 mg total Hg/kg DW in a coal-fired power plant without FGD, a 40% reduction. 

In sediments that were anthropogeni-cally contaminated with mercury, concentrations were significantly elevated (usually 20.0 mg/kg) when compared with uncontaminated sediments (usually 1.0 mg/kg). Sigiuficant mercury enrichment in sediments of Newark Bay, New Jersey, may represent a hazard to aquatic life. In Finland, sediments near a pulp and paper mill - where mercury was used as a slimicide - contained up 

Concentrations of total mercury in sewage sludge from 74 publicly owned treatment works in Missouri ranged from 0.6 to 130.0mg/kg DW, and strongly indicates that sewage sludge applications to agricultural soils should be carefully monitored. 

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Table 5.5 Mercury Concentrations in Selected Abiotic Materials Material (units) Concentration Reference8... 

Techniques for analysis of different mercury species in biological samples and abiotic materials include atomic absorption, cold vapor atomic fluorescence spectrometry, gas-liquid chromatography with electron capture detection, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (Lansens etal. 1991 Schintu etal. 1992 Porcella etal. 1995). Methylmercury concentrations in marine biological tissues are detected at concentrations as low as 10 pg Hg/kg tissue using graphite furnace sample preparation techniques and atomic absorption spectrometry (Schintu et al. 1992). 

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