what exactly is the mercury problem?
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What Exactly IS the Mercury Problem?. David Gay (217) 244-0462 [email protected], http://nadp.sws.uiuc.edu. Goals for this Talk What is the Mercury problem? Where and When? Why?. What is the Mercury Problem?. Primarily A Health Concern. Neurological Disorders - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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?
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 3
What is the Mercury Problem?
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 4
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
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 5
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
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 6
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)
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 7
The Problem is not Elemental Mercury…
(its Methyl Mercury)
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 8
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
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 9
So if Fish Are the Problem, then..
Where is the problem?Which fish are the problem?
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 10
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 11
See EPA Mercury Site for your State/Nationwww.epa.gov/
mercury
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 12
1 meal per month
2 meals per month
3 meals per month
4-8 meals per month
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 13
From E. Sutherland, USEPA
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 14
Fish Repeatedly Mentioned
• Shark• King Mackerel• Tilefish• Swordfish• Grouper• Limit tuna consumption
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 15
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.
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 16
Where is the Mercury Coming
From?
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 17
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
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 18
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)
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 19
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 20
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 21
Seigneur and others, ES&T, 2004, V38, 555-569
Modeled Dry Deposition
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 22
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
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 23
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
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 24
Trends in Mercury Concentrations
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 25
Where is Mercury Coming From?
Who is to blame?
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 26
How Mercury is Wet Deposited?
Hgo
RGMHgp
Hgp
RGM
HgoHgp
RGM
rainout
washout
Oxidation (long lifetime)
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 27
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
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 28
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
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 29
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
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 30
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
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 31
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 32
Measurements We Can Make
(or what you can look for)
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 33
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
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 34
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
Federal Agency
Members
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 37
States and Tribal
Organizations
University
Members
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 40
Mercury Deposition Network (MDN)
Collects one-week precipitation-only sampleswith MDN wet-dry collector
Measures precipitation with gage
AnalysesTotal MercuryMethyl Mercury
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 41
Monitoring Sites
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 42
Dry Deposition
?
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 43
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.
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 44
Candidate 2007-8 NADP Atmospheric Hg Network Sites
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 45
For more information
http://nadpweb.sws.uiuc.edu/amn/
David Gay, [email protected]
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 46
What Exactly IS the Mercury Problem?
David Gay(217) 244-0462
[email protected], http://nadp.sws.uiuc.edu