Preface
VII
and point measurements. MiklavCic reports mercury concentrations in air, lichens, carrots, and beans in the town of Idrija (Slovenia), while Kobal et al. examine whether urinary mercury concentration in Idrija miners is a valid indicator
of individual internal doses received during intermittent exposure to elemental
mercury. Gnamus and Horvat evaluate the degree of contamination with mercury
and its transfer in terrestrial food webs in the active mercury mining area of Idrija.
Banasova describes changes in plant communities around an Hg mine and smelter
in Slovakia, noting that observed changes are due to the combined emissions of
sulfur dioxide, mercury, and copper. Lechler found that mercury still generally
occurs in the same elemental form in which it was used in the 19 th century to mine
for gold in two areas in the western United States. The last chapter (Laperdina et
al.) in this section summarizes mercury concentrations in environmental media
in the gold mining districts of Siberia and points out the irreversible ecological
degradation which has accompanied placer mining in these districts.
The section on Emissions and Atmospheric Dispersion begins with a chapter by
Kruger et al. which describes determination of mercury emissions from a major
industrial site in Germany occupied by both closed and still-operating facilities
(chloralkali and acetaldehyde). Petzoldt et al. describe the use of modified zeolites
to remove merucry from various industrial gas streams. Spirit and Hraste share
practical experiences with a sulfur-impregnated activated carbon system designed to remove mercury from natural gas. Analytical techniques for the speciation of mercury emissions from a Municipal Solid Waste Incinerator (MSWI) are
described by Wang et al.
Under the topic of Remediation the book includes papers by Matsuyama, who
describes a novel low temperature thermal process for the treatment of Hg-contaminated soils involving addition of iron chloride (Matsuyama), and by Thoeming
et al., who describe a hydrometallurgical technique (electroleaching of both mercury and gold) applicable to mercury-contaminated soils from the Brazilian gold
mining areas. Finally, Meschede and Vogelsberger describe the demolition and
decontamination of a chloralkali plant in Alexandria, Egypt.
The book concludes with four chapters describing Mercury Contamination in
Aquatic Systems. Glass et al. examined mercury concentrations as a function of
depth in sediments in six reservoirs on the lower St Louis River, a major tributary
to Lake Superior. Patel et al. found mercury and other metals in sediments to be
largely derived from mineral- and coal-rich regions in India. Probst et al. describe
studies of mercury partitioning among water, suspended matter, and bottom
sediments of the Ill-Thur river system in France, noting the presence of temporal
and spatial gradients. Finally, Pandit et al. describe results of sampling and analysis for total and methylmercury in a tidal creek ecosystem near Bombay, India.
The various chapters clearly show that each contaminated site has its own history of
pollution and, furthermore, that the risks associated with mercury depend on sitespecific biogeochemical conditions. No universal treatment procedure is available
and the selection of the most effective one should be made on a site by site evaluation.
VII
and point measurements. MiklavCic reports mercury concentrations in air, lichens, carrots, and beans in the town of Idrija (Slovenia), while Kobal et al. examine whether urinary mercury concentration in Idrija miners is a valid indicator
of individual internal doses received during intermittent exposure to elemental
mercury. Gnamus and Horvat evaluate the degree of contamination with mercury
and its transfer in terrestrial food webs in the active mercury mining area of Idrija.
Banasova describes changes in plant communities around an Hg mine and smelter
in Slovakia, noting that observed changes are due to the combined emissions of
sulfur dioxide, mercury, and copper. Lechler found that mercury still generally
occurs in the same elemental form in which it was used in the 19 th century to mine
for gold in two areas in the western United States. The last chapter (Laperdina et
al.) in this section summarizes mercury concentrations in environmental media
in the gold mining districts of Siberia and points out the irreversible ecological
degradation which has accompanied placer mining in these districts.
The section on Emissions and Atmospheric Dispersion begins with a chapter by
Kruger et al. which describes determination of mercury emissions from a major
industrial site in Germany occupied by both closed and still-operating facilities
(chloralkali and acetaldehyde). Petzoldt et al. describe the use of modified zeolites
to remove merucry from various industrial gas streams. Spirit and Hraste share
practical experiences with a sulfur-impregnated activated carbon system designed to remove mercury from natural gas. Analytical techniques for the speciation of mercury emissions from a Municipal Solid Waste Incinerator (MSWI) are
described by Wang et al.
Under the topic of Remediation the book includes papers by Matsuyama, who
describes a novel low temperature thermal process for the treatment of Hg-contaminated soils involving addition of iron chloride (Matsuyama), and by Thoeming
et al., who describe a hydrometallurgical technique (electroleaching of both mercury and gold) applicable to mercury-contaminated soils from the Brazilian gold
mining areas. Finally, Meschede and Vogelsberger describe the demolition and
decontamination of a chloralkali plant in Alexandria, Egypt.
The book concludes with four chapters describing Mercury Contamination in
Aquatic Systems. Glass et al. examined mercury concentrations as a function of
depth in sediments in six reservoirs on the lower St Louis River, a major tributary
to Lake Superior. Patel et al. found mercury and other metals in sediments to be
largely derived from mineral- and coal-rich regions in India. Probst et al. describe
studies of mercury partitioning among water, suspended matter, and bottom
sediments of the Ill-Thur river system in France, noting the presence of temporal
and spatial gradients. Finally, Pandit et al. describe results of sampling and analysis for total and methylmercury in a tidal creek ecosystem near Bombay, India.
The various chapters clearly show that each contaminated site has its own history of
pollution and, furthermore, that the risks associated with mercury depend on sitespecific biogeochemical conditions. No universal treatment procedure is available
and the selection of the most effective one should be made on a site by site evaluation.