Transcript Nat Tribal Forum_DavidGay_0604_am.ppt

What Exactly IS the Mercury
Problem?
David Gay
(217) 244-0462
[email protected], http://nadp.sws.uiuc.edu
Goals for this Talk
1. What is the Mercury problem?
2. Where and When?
3. Why?
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 2
What is the Mercury
Problem?
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 3
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
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 4
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
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 5
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)
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 6
The Problem is not
Elemental Mercury…
(its Methyl Mercury)
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 7
Bioaccumulation of methyl mercury
Through Fall
(wet+dry)
Dry Deposition
Wet Deposition
Geologic Sources
(soil, rock, base flow etc.)
Litter Fall
Hg
Hg
Hg
Methylation
Bacterial action
(water and sediment)
Zooplankton
Small fish
predatory fish
Water Body/pore water
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 8
So if Fish Are the Problem, then..
Where is the problem?
Which fish are the problem?
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 9
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 10
See EPA Mercury Site for your
State/Nation
www.epa.gov/mercury
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 11
4-8 meals per month
3 meals per month
2 meals per month
1 meal per month
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 12
From E. Sutherland, USEPA
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 13
Fish Repeatedly Mentioned
• Shark
• King Mackerel
• Tilefish
• Swordfish
• Grouper
• Limit tuna consumption
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 14
Federal Drug Administration
Advise……
• Pregnant women and women of childbearing age
• Limit consumption of shark and swordfish to 1/month,
particularly during the 1st 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.
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 15
Where is the Mercury
Coming From?
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 16
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
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 17
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)
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 18
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 19
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 20
Modeled Dry Deposition
Seigneur and others,
ES&T, 2004, V38, 555-569
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 21
Deposition (ug/m2seas)
Regional Average Mercury Deposition
8.0
7.0
6.0
5.0
4.0
3.0
2.0
1.0
0.0
MW
NE
OH
Region
SE
Win
All
Spr
Sum
Fall
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 22
Eastern North America Deposition Timelines
4500
Dep (ng/m2 week)
4000
3500
3000
NS01
2500
2000
PA90
1500
FL34
1000
Eastern North American Deposition Timelines
500
0
4500 7
Dep (ng/m2 week)
-9
ar
4000
M
8
l -9
u
J
9
-9
ec
D
-0
pr
A
1
0
pe
S
2
4
-0
n
Ja
05
ay
M
ct
O
6
-0
3500
3000
ME02
2500
2000
NY20
1500
MA01
1000
500
0
97
ar
M
8
l-9
Ju
9
-9
ec
D
-0
pr
A
1
0
pe
S
2
4
-0
n
Ja
05
ay
M
ct
O
-0
6
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 23
Trends in Mercury Concentrations
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 24
Where is Mercury
Coming From?
Who is to blame?
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 25
How Mercury is Wet Deposited?
RGM
Hgp
RGM
Hgp
Hgo
Hgo
Oxidation (long lifetime)
rainout
Hgp
RGM
washout
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 26
Atmospheric Mercury Species
Abundance
Hg0 – Elemental Mercury
RGM – Reactive Gaseous Mercury
Hgp – Particulate Bound Mercury
1.4-1.8
ng/m3
Typical Atm. Mercury
Species Abundance
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 27
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
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 28
U.S. Atmospheric Emissions
(metric tons per year)
Sources
Elemental
Mercury
Hg(0)
Oxidized
Mercury
Hg(II)
Particulate
Mercury
Hg(p)
Total
Mercury
Coal Burning
38
23
15
76 (45%)
Incinerators
11
33
11
55 (33%)
Other Point Sources
24
4
2
30 (18%)
Area Sources
7
0
0
7 ( 4%)
80 (48%)
60 (36%)
28 (16%)
168
Total
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 29
Global Emissions
(metric tons per year)
Source
Bergen et al.
Mason & Sheu
Lamborg et. al.
Seigneur et al.
Average
direct
2160
2400
.
2143
2234
re-emitted
2000
2090
4800
1067
2489
from land
500
810
1000
1805
1029
from oceans
1400
1300
600
1396
1174
6060
6600
6400
6411
6,368
Man-made
Natural
Total
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 30
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 31
Measurements We Can Make
(or what you can look for)
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 32
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
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 33
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).
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 34
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
Federal Agency
Members
States and
Tribal
Organizations
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 37
University
Members
Other Research
Organizations
Mercury Deposition Network (MDN)
Collects one-week precipitation-only samples
with MDN wet-dry collector
Measures precipitation
with gage
Analyses
Total Mercury
Methyl Mercury
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 40
Monitoring Sites
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 41
Dry Deposition
?
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 42
NADP’s Plan:
1.
A Working Group Formed
Eric Presto
Martin Risch
David Schmeltz
Tim Sharac
David Gay
NADP Vice-Chair - Tekran
NADP NOS Chair - USGS
EPA Clean Air Markets Div.
EPA Clean Air Markets Div.
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.
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 43
Candidate 2007-8 NADP Atmospheric Hg Network Sites
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 44
For more information
David Gay, NADP
[email protected]
217.244.0462
http://nadpweb.sws.uiuc.edu/amn/
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 45
What Exactly IS the Mercury
Problem?
David Gay
(217) 244-0462
[email protected], http://nadp.sws.uiuc.edu
D. Gay, National Tribal Forum, Las Vegas, NV, June 4, 2008 Slide 46