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What Exactly IS the Mercury Problem? David Gay (217) 244-0462

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Presentation on theme: "What Exactly IS the Mercury Problem? David Gay (217) 244-0462"— Presentation transcript:

1 What Exactly IS the Mercury Problem? David Gay (217) 244-0462 dgay@uiuc.edu, http://nadp.sws.uiuc.edu

2 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 2 Goals for this Talk 1. 1.What is the Mercury problem? 2. 2.Where and When? 3. 3.Why?

3 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 3 What is the Mercury Problem?

4 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 4 Primarily A Health Concern Neurological Disorders Persistent bioaccumulative neurotoxin Large problem in children to about age 7 Birth defects learning disabilities Problem in adults under certain conditions Other Disorders: Kidney disorders Possible human carcinogen

5 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 5 Examples…. Industry “Mad Hatters” With very high concentrations in water 1960s Japan, daily fish consumption near industrial processing Minimata, 111 deaths Nigata, 120 deaths 1970s, Iraq and contaminated grain alkyl mercury fungicide seed mistakenly used to prepare bread more than 6,500 Iraqis hospitalized with neurological symptoms 459 died

6 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 6 Focus is typically…. Children and fetuses Neurotoxicity: have no blood-brain barrier to mercury Kidney disease Others have been mentioned (autism, etc.) NHANES ≈ children with 5.8 ug/L, still unknown Potentially pregnant Women who could pass on Hg to fetus CDC's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)

7 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 7 The Problem is not Elemental Mercury… (its Methyl Mercury)

8 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 8 Bioaccumulation of methyl mercury Bacterial action (water and sediment) Zooplankton Small fish predatory fish Water Body/pore water Me-Mercury Concentration Dry Deposition Wet DepositionGeologic Sources (soil, rock, base flow etc.) Methylation Hg Through Fall (wet+dry) Litter Fall

9 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 9 So if Fish Are the Problem, then.. Where is the problem? Which fish are the problem?

10 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 10

11 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 11 See EPA Mercury Site for your State/Nation www.epa.gov/mercury

12 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 12 1 meal per month 2 meals per month 3 meals per month 4-8 meals per month

13 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 13 From E. Sutherland, USEPA

14 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 14 Fish Repeatedly Mentioned Shark King Mackerel Tilefish Swordfish Grouper Limit tuna consumption

15 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 15 Federal Drug Administration Advise…… Pregnant women and women of childbearing age Limit consumption of shark and swordfish to 1/month, particularly during the 1 st trimester. Limit consumption other higher-concentration fish. Others Limit regular consumption of high concentration fish, such as shark and swordfish to about 7 ounces per week (about one serving). For fish < 0.5 ppm Hg, regular consumption should be limited to about 14 ounces per week.

16 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 16 Where is the Mercury Coming From?

17 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 17 Total Deposition, In Summary Atmospheric transport and deposition is the dominant pathway to most aquatic ecosystems. Between 40 and 75% of the mercury input to lakes and streams is by wet deposition probably less in the West, where dry deposition dominates. (Sorensen et al., 1997; Scherbatskoy et al., 1997; Lamborg et al., 1995; Mason et al., 1997; Landis and Keeler, 2002; Mercury 2006 Committee Statement) “New” mercury is more likely converted to organic form than “old” mercury

18 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 18 Total Deposition is.. Wet deposition + (good data) Dry deposition + (very little data) Litterfall + (very little data) Throughfall + (very little data) Methyl mercury deposition (very little data) Geological input (very little data)

19 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 19

20 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 20

21 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 21 Seigneur and others, ES&T, 2004, V38, 555-569 Modeled Dry Deposition

22 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 22

23 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 23

24 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 24 Trends in Mercury Concentrations

25 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 25 Where is Mercury Coming From? Who is to blame?

26 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 26 How Mercury is Wet Deposited? Hg o RGM Hg p RGM Hg o Hg p RGM rainout washout Oxidation (long lifetime)

27 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 27 Atmospheric Mercury Species Abundance Hg 0 – Elemental Mercury RGM – Reactive Gaseous Mercury Hg p – Particulate Bound Mercury Typical Atm. Mercury Species Abundance 1.4-1.8 ng/m 3

28 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 28 Sources of Mercury Coal combustion Incineration Medical Trash Cremation Industrial emissions (chlor-alkali) Cement production (Hg in lime) Mining Hg use in gold and silver mining (amalgam formation) Mining for Hg taconite Automobile Recycling Mercury in Landfills Fluorescent lamps dental amalgams (also in sewers) Thermometers Batteries Discarded electrical switches Others will surface Other carbon fossil fuels (gas/oil/diesel)? Volcanoes (St. Helens) Naturally enriched ores/soils Plate tectonic boundaries Cinnabar (HgS), taconite, others Soils and rocks (0.08 to 0.5 ppm in crust) Evaporation Soils Fresh water and OCEANS Natural forest fires Tree bark (wood fire places) soils Volatilization from rocks? Wind Blown reintroduction Mine tailings Industrial contaminated soils Evolving Gases Mines, industrial areas Waste facilities (municipal in particular) Out of soil

29 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 29 U.S. Atmospheric Emissions (metric tons per year) SourcesElemental Mercury Hg(0) Oxidized Mercury Hg(II) Particulate Mercury Hg(p) Total Mercury Coal Burning38231576 (45%) Incinerators11331155 (33%) Other Point Sources244230 (18%) Area Sources700 7 ( 4%) Total80 (48%)60 (36%)28 (16%) 168

30 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 30 Global Emissions (metric tons per year) Source Bergen et al.Mason & SheuLamborg et. al.Seigneur et al. Average Man-made direct 21602400.2143 2234 re-emitted 2000209048001067 2489 Natural from land 50081010001805 1029 from oceans 140013006001396 1174 Total 6060660064006411 6,368

31 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 31

32 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 32 Measurements We Can Make (or what you can look for)

33 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 33 Mercury Deposition Network A Cooperative Research Program Part of National Atmospheric Deposition Network 109 sites Federal, State, Local and Tribal governments members, private organizations Measuring wet deposition of mercury

34 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 34 NADP’s Goal To monitor the chemistry of precipitation (rain and snow) consistently and as accurately as we can, for long periods to determine changes over time (trends).

35 Tribal Organizations Yurok Tribe; Sac and Fox Nation; Pennobscot; Grand Traverse Band of Ottowa & Chippewa Indians; Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe; Akwesasne Mohawk Tribe; Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe; Makah Nation; Quinault Indian Nation

36 Federal Agency Members

37 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 37 States and Tribal Organizations

38 University Members

39 Other Research Organizations

40 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 40 Mercury Deposition Network (MDN) Collects one-week precipitation-only samples with MDN wet-dry collector Measures precipitation with gage Analyses Total Mercury Methyl Mercury

41 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 41 Monitoring Sites

42 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 42 Dry Deposition ?

43 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 43 NADP’s Plan: 1.A Working Group Formed Eric Presto NADP Vice-Chair - Tekran Martin Risch NADP NOS Chair - USGS David Schmeltz EPA Clean Air Markets Div. Tim Sharac EPA Clean Air Markets Div. David Gay NADP-MDN Coordinator 2.Review scientific methods for measuring or estimating dry deposition of mercury, 3.Determine if these methods can be formalized into a network operation, and 4.Develop the Network Plan (currently here) 5.Present this network plan for NADP acceptance.

44 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 44 Candidate 2007-8 NADP Atmospheric Hg Network Sites

45 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 45 For more information http://nadpweb.sws.uiuc.edu/amn/ David Gay, NADP dgay@uiuc.edu 217.244.0462

46 D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 46 What Exactly IS the Mercury Problem? David Gay (217) 244-0462 dgay@uiuc.edu, http://nadp.sws.uiuc.edu

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