Mercury in Terrestrial Food Webs of the Idrija Mining Area
317
restoration processes in the affected environment after complete cessation of
Hg production. Some efforts to expand these studies in the Idrija area should
be made to reveal the mechanisms of biogeochemical cycling, transformation
and biomagnification processes in this unique natural and anthropogenic
laboratory.
• Further studies, including environmental matrices such as soils, waters, flood
sediments, and biota samples will be necessary to control environmental Hg
fluctuations and transformations over the next decade. They should enable
the extent and velocity of the restoration proceses to be established and
gradual diminution of environmental and biota tissue Hg concentrations
which should follow the final closure of the mercury mine/smelter complex
in Idrija. In this respect, additional samples from the Podljubelj area, where
Hg mining was abandoned approximately a century ago, were collected for
comparison and are presently awaiting analysis.
Acknowledgements The authors are grateful to the). Stefan Institute, Dept. of Environmental Sciences,
Laboratory for Radiochemistry in Ljubljana, where most of the analytical work was carried out,
particularly Ms. Ana Prosenc, who carried out analyses by NAA, to Dr. Anthony R. Byrne for
discussion and suggestions, to Prof. Peter Stegnar and Dr. Borut Smodis for enabling cooperation
between ). Stefan Institute, Dept. of Environmental Sciences and Dept. of Biology, University of
Ljubljana, to Dr. Rober Sajn from I nstitute for Geology, Geotechnics and Geophysics, Ljubljana for
preparing the digital relief model of the Idrija area, the staff of the Idrija Hunter's Association,
especially to Mr. E. Miklavcic for collecting the animal samples from the Idrija area, to prof. M.
Adamii: from Biotechnical Faculty, Dept. of Forestry for cooperation and helpful assistance, to Prof.
). Lorger from the Veterinary Faculty for help in precise dissection of brain tissue from the animals,
and to Prof. T. Pardubsky and prof. A. Bidovec from the Veterinary Faculty for consultations and help
in collection of samples. The authors would also like to thank Mr. M. Zupan from Biotechnical
Faculty, Dept. of Agronomy for help at soil types determination in the areas surveyed. Special thanks
are due to Dr. Lian Liang of the IAEA-MEL, Monaco, for her help in carrying out the analyses of total
and methylmercury in soil samples. The research was partly sponsored by the Rector's Foundation at
the University of Ljubljana and Sloven ian Scientific Foundation.
References
Adamic M (1990) Food habits as an element of the management of ungulate populations with
emphasis on the red deer (Cervus elaphus L.). Ph 0 thesis. Univ of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia (in
Slovene, English Summary)
Andren AW, Nriagu)O (1979) The global cycle of mercury. In: Nriagu)O (ed) The biogeochemistry of
mercury in the environment. Elsevier-North Holland, Biomedical Press, Amsterdam, pp 1-21
Aulerich RJ, Ringer RK, Iwamoto S (1974) Effects of dietary mercury on mink. Arch Environ Con tam
Toxicol 2:43-51
Babinska-Werka J, Czarnowska K (1988) Heavy metals in roe-deer liver and alimentary tract and their
content in soil and plants in central Poland. Acta Theriol 33:219-230
Baeyens W, Ebinghaus R, Vasiliev 0 (Eds.) (1996) Global and regional mercury cycles: sources, fluxes
and mass balances. Kluwer, Dordrecht, pp 1-563
Bargagli R, Barghigiani C, Maserti BE (1986) Mercury in vegetation of the Mount Amiata area (Italy).
Chemosphere 15:1035-1042
Barghigiani C, Siegel BZ, Bargagli R, Siegel SM (1989) The contribution of mercury from thermal
springs to the environmental contamination of Mt. Amiata. Water Air Soil Pollut 43:169-175
317
restoration processes in the affected environment after complete cessation of
Hg production. Some efforts to expand these studies in the Idrija area should
be made to reveal the mechanisms of biogeochemical cycling, transformation
and biomagnification processes in this unique natural and anthropogenic
laboratory.
• Further studies, including environmental matrices such as soils, waters, flood
sediments, and biota samples will be necessary to control environmental Hg
fluctuations and transformations over the next decade. They should enable
the extent and velocity of the restoration proceses to be established and
gradual diminution of environmental and biota tissue Hg concentrations
which should follow the final closure of the mercury mine/smelter complex
in Idrija. In this respect, additional samples from the Podljubelj area, where
Hg mining was abandoned approximately a century ago, were collected for
comparison and are presently awaiting analysis.
Acknowledgements The authors are grateful to the). Stefan Institute, Dept. of Environmental Sciences,
Laboratory for Radiochemistry in Ljubljana, where most of the analytical work was carried out,
particularly Ms. Ana Prosenc, who carried out analyses by NAA, to Dr. Anthony R. Byrne for
discussion and suggestions, to Prof. Peter Stegnar and Dr. Borut Smodis for enabling cooperation
between ). Stefan Institute, Dept. of Environmental Sciences and Dept. of Biology, University of
Ljubljana, to Dr. Rober Sajn from I nstitute for Geology, Geotechnics and Geophysics, Ljubljana for
preparing the digital relief model of the Idrija area, the staff of the Idrija Hunter's Association,
especially to Mr. E. Miklavcic for collecting the animal samples from the Idrija area, to prof. M.
Adamii: from Biotechnical Faculty, Dept. of Forestry for cooperation and helpful assistance, to Prof.
). Lorger from the Veterinary Faculty for help in precise dissection of brain tissue from the animals,
and to Prof. T. Pardubsky and prof. A. Bidovec from the Veterinary Faculty for consultations and help
in collection of samples. The authors would also like to thank Mr. M. Zupan from Biotechnical
Faculty, Dept. of Agronomy for help at soil types determination in the areas surveyed. Special thanks
are due to Dr. Lian Liang of the IAEA-MEL, Monaco, for her help in carrying out the analyses of total
and methylmercury in soil samples. The research was partly sponsored by the Rector's Foundation at
the University of Ljubljana and Sloven ian Scientific Foundation.
References
Adamic M (1990) Food habits as an element of the management of ungulate populations with
emphasis on the red deer (Cervus elaphus L.). Ph 0 thesis. Univ of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia (in
Slovene, English Summary)
Andren AW, Nriagu)O (1979) The global cycle of mercury. In: Nriagu)O (ed) The biogeochemistry of
mercury in the environment. Elsevier-North Holland, Biomedical Press, Amsterdam, pp 1-21
Aulerich RJ, Ringer RK, Iwamoto S (1974) Effects of dietary mercury on mink. Arch Environ Con tam
Toxicol 2:43-51
Babinska-Werka J, Czarnowska K (1988) Heavy metals in roe-deer liver and alimentary tract and their
content in soil and plants in central Poland. Acta Theriol 33:219-230
Baeyens W, Ebinghaus R, Vasiliev 0 (Eds.) (1996) Global and regional mercury cycles: sources, fluxes
and mass balances. Kluwer, Dordrecht, pp 1-563
Bargagli R, Barghigiani C, Maserti BE (1986) Mercury in vegetation of the Mount Amiata area (Italy).
Chemosphere 15:1035-1042
Barghigiani C, Siegel BZ, Bargagli R, Siegel SM (1989) The contribution of mercury from thermal
springs to the environmental contamination of Mt. Amiata. Water Air Soil Pollut 43:169-175