Total mercury (TotHg) and methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations were determined in various environmental compartments collected from water resources of three Water Management Areas (WMAs) - viz. Olifants, Upper Vaal and Inkomati WMAs, potentially impacted by major anthropogenic mercury (Hg) sources (i.e coal-fired power stations and artisanal gold mining activities). Aqueous TotHg concentrations were found to be elevated above the global average (5.0 ng/L) in 38% of all aqueous samples, while aqueous MeHg concentrations ranged from below the detection limit (0.02 ng/L) to 2.73 ± 0.10 ng/L. Total Hg concentrations in surface sediment (0-4 cm) ranged from 0.75 ± 0.01 to 358.23 ± 76.83 ng/g wet weight (ww). Methylmercury accounted for, on average, 24% of TotHg concentrations in sediment. Methylmercury concentrations were not correlated with TotHg concentrations or organic content in sediment. The concentration of MeHg in invertebrates and fish were highest in the Inkomati WMA and, furthermore, measured just below the US EPA guideline for MeHg in fish
Reference:
Williams, CR, Leaner, JL, Nel, JM and Somerset, VS. 2010. Mercury concentrations in water resources potentially impacted by coal-fired power stations and artisanal gold mining in Mpumalanga, South Africa. Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part A, Vol. 45(11), pp 1363 - 1373
Williams, C., Leaner, J., Nel, J., & Somerset, V. (2010). Mercury concentrations in water resources potentially impacted by coal-fired power stations and artisanal gold mining in Mpumalanga, South Africa. http://hdl.handle.net/10204/4356
Williams, CR, JL Leaner, JM Nel, and VS Somerset "Mercury concentrations in water resources potentially impacted by coal-fired power stations and artisanal gold mining in Mpumalanga, South Africa." (2010) http://hdl.handle.net/10204/4356
Williams C, Leaner J, Nel J, Somerset V. Mercury concentrations in water resources potentially impacted by coal-fired power stations and artisanal gold mining in Mpumalanga, South Africa. 2010; http://hdl.handle.net/10204/4356.
Copyright: 2010 Taylor & Francis. This is the author's version of the work. The definitive is published in the Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part A, Vol. 45(11), pp 1363 - 1373