Mercury in Terrestrial Food Webs of the Idrija Mining Area
IW ~~r----------------------'--~------------------'
'Q:
U,OI
0,001 ,J.; . . . . . . . ~;:::::;:::;:::;::;:::::;:=.~I-+-+-+--+--+I/-.--i--~
IIg '",dler II 0.5 1
•• 1
. .
E~
.~ ~
~ t:
I :e ~ (W I
... ~
% '~
, , c
~.;
~~
2
~
5
Uistancc from «he source of poilu lion (km)
~O-180
Clr- I I .. ( 'lr-5
Me-Hg
- .. - 'lIxt:n l(f1t: ll t:t; R 1'1 ... \"'-. Hlt; 1' I
~"m"l..\·
o · I,I\'J., R
- 4 " - t1 K
( "t:Kt: IIHI 1,\1 . ( ·ltnn lc .. ,Mlnllb
.' .
t O.OO l.l.l,;;.:.L--------=--------------'
.. .. ' .......
,.
"
.... o
0.0001 .J-..... """ ..... ~~:;:::;:;=:::;=::;;::::;::::;~+_+__+_-+_+--i..JI..I---+--+--l
Hg Smelter 0 0.5 1
4
5
l)iSlance rrolll Ihe so ur •• or pollulion (kill)
~O-180
Clr-I 100r-S
299
Fig, 4. Summary of the results for T-Hg (a) and Me-Hg (b) concentrations obtained from the analysis
of the composite plant samples and selected roe deer tissues, related to the distance from the source of
mercury contamination. Note that Hg concentration values are presented on a log scale. All
concentration values f.w . except for mixed plant diet samples (d .w.)
factors of approx. 4 x for vegetation samples, and approx. 3 to 20 x in the various
roe deer tissues. From these differentiation factors it can be stated that
concentration differences between particular areas in the heavily polluted Zone A
and less polluted Idrija surroundings clustered in Zone B were smaller in roe
deer tissues and larger in the composite plant samples representing roe deer diet.
In contrast, the concentration differences between samples from the moderately