Mercury contaminated sites : characterization, risk assessment, and remediation

This book presents an up-to-date overview of the characterization, risk assessment and remediation of mercury-contaminated sites. Many industrial activities, including the mining of gold, silver, and mercury itself, have caused mercury contamination of terrestrial and aquatic systems. Unlike other metals, which are generally not very volatile, mercury from contaminated sites can have a significant impact on remote ecosystems via the atmospheric pathway. Thus, mercury contamination is not only a local issue, but also has global dimensions. This book summarizes, for the first time, work from Europe, Russia and the American continent. Review chapters are supplemented by detailed, international case studies.