Concentration of Mercury and Other Heavy Metals in Central India
Table 6. Possible pollution sources for the contamination of the sediments in central India
Elements
Fe, Mn, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Hg
Pb
6
Conclusion
Main sources
Iron and dolomite melting, coal burning furnace,
rock weathering, atmospheric deposition, etc.
Iron and dolomite melting, coal burning furnace,
rock weathering, combustion of leaded gasoline,
atmospheric deposition, use of leaded pipes
499
The natural background of elements, i.e. Fe, Mn, Cr, Ni, Cu, Co, Zn, Pb, Tl and
Hg, determined in different sediments of the unpolluted area, was 500, 11.0, 1.0,
1.2, 0.7, 0.3, 4.0, 0.07, 0.06 and 0.05 ppm, respectively. Most of the sediments in
central India, extending over an area of ""2.0 x 10 5 km\ are highly polluted «18fold) with metal, i.e. Fe. In addition, the iron belt region covering an area of
"" 6.0 X 10 4 km
2
and the industrial belts, i.e. Raipur and Bhilai, are highly
polluted with other heavy metals, i.e. Mn, Cr, Ni, Pb, Tl and Hg. The Hg level in
the surface water is very high (17.1 ppb) and mostly presentin organic form. The
main possible source of Hg and other heavy metals in the water and sediments of
central India is through weathering of the natural geological resource materials,
exploitation and smelting of iron ore and dolomite, burning of fossil fuel, i.e.
coal, gasoline, atmospheric deposition of heavy metals, use of leaded pipes, etc.
Extensive research will be needed for the exact mapping of the level of heavy
metal pollution in the environment of central India to determine the sources,
mobility, sink, receptors, bioaccumulation, transformation and toxicities.
Acknowledgements We are thankful to the Department of Environment and Forests, New Delhi, for
financial support of this work through project No. 19/51192-RE. The Alexander von Humboldt
Foundation, Bonn, Germany, is gratefully acknowledged for the donation of the GBC graphite furnace,
and for financial support to attend the mercury conference held in Hamburg, August 1996. We wish to
express our sincere thanks to Dr. Ralf Ebinghaus, GKKS, Geesthacht, Germany, for encouragement
and financial support. We are also thankful to Prof. V. Kuban, Univ. of Brno, Czech Republic, for his
kind help in presenting this work at the mercury conference held in Hamburg.
References
Ayyadurai K, Kamalam N, Rajagopal CK (1983) Mercury pollution in water in Madras city. Indian J
Environ Health 25=15-20
Belkin HE, Sparcke HM (1993) Hg, As, Sb and Se contents of sediments from the Kuskokwim River,
Bethel, Atlanta, USA. Environ Geol 22:106-110
Colina M, Oliveros S, Marquez R, Ledo H (1996) Mercury level in water and sediments from Sinameica
Lagoon and its inflows, Venezuela. Mercury as a Global Pollutant Conf, August 4-8, 1996, Hamburg,
p 363
Table 6. Possible pollution sources for the contamination of the sediments in central India
Elements
Fe, Mn, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Hg
Pb
6
Conclusion
Main sources
Iron and dolomite melting, coal burning furnace,
rock weathering, atmospheric deposition, etc.
Iron and dolomite melting, coal burning furnace,
rock weathering, combustion of leaded gasoline,
atmospheric deposition, use of leaded pipes
499
The natural background of elements, i.e. Fe, Mn, Cr, Ni, Cu, Co, Zn, Pb, Tl and
Hg, determined in different sediments of the unpolluted area, was 500, 11.0, 1.0,
1.2, 0.7, 0.3, 4.0, 0.07, 0.06 and 0.05 ppm, respectively. Most of the sediments in
central India, extending over an area of ""2.0 x 10 5 km\ are highly polluted «18fold) with metal, i.e. Fe. In addition, the iron belt region covering an area of
"" 6.0 X 10 4 km
2
and the industrial belts, i.e. Raipur and Bhilai, are highly
polluted with other heavy metals, i.e. Mn, Cr, Ni, Pb, Tl and Hg. The Hg level in
the surface water is very high (17.1 ppb) and mostly presentin organic form. The
main possible source of Hg and other heavy metals in the water and sediments of
central India is through weathering of the natural geological resource materials,
exploitation and smelting of iron ore and dolomite, burning of fossil fuel, i.e.
coal, gasoline, atmospheric deposition of heavy metals, use of leaded pipes, etc.
Extensive research will be needed for the exact mapping of the level of heavy
metal pollution in the environment of central India to determine the sources,
mobility, sink, receptors, bioaccumulation, transformation and toxicities.
Acknowledgements We are thankful to the Department of Environment and Forests, New Delhi, for
financial support of this work through project No. 19/51192-RE. The Alexander von Humboldt
Foundation, Bonn, Germany, is gratefully acknowledged for the donation of the GBC graphite furnace,
and for financial support to attend the mercury conference held in Hamburg, August 1996. We wish to
express our sincere thanks to Dr. Ralf Ebinghaus, GKKS, Geesthacht, Germany, for encouragement
and financial support. We are also thankful to Prof. V. Kuban, Univ. of Brno, Czech Republic, for his
kind help in presenting this work at the mercury conference held in Hamburg.
References
Ayyadurai K, Kamalam N, Rajagopal CK (1983) Mercury pollution in water in Madras city. Indian J
Environ Health 25=15-20
Belkin HE, Sparcke HM (1993) Hg, As, Sb and Se contents of sediments from the Kuskokwim River,
Bethel, Atlanta, USA. Environ Geol 22:106-110
Colina M, Oliveros S, Marquez R, Ledo H (1996) Mercury level in water and sediments from Sinameica
Lagoon and its inflows, Venezuela. Mercury as a Global Pollutant Conf, August 4-8, 1996, Hamburg,
p 363