Mercury Pollution

Mercury Pollution

Obianuju Ifesiokwu
Cyril Iyasele

December 7, 2010

Outline

 Introduction

 Mercury in the environment

 Exposure to mercury

 Effects of mercury on human health and environment

 Laws and regulations on mercury

 Remediation processes of mercury-contaminated sites

 Case Study
 Minamata Mercury Pollution

Introduction

 Mercury is the most hazardous metal
for human health and environment

 Has high toxicity, volatility

 Tendency to bio-accumulate in human
body

 Mercury is on the priority list of 129
chemical substances by US EPA

Introduction

 Elemental mercury, although a metal, is
unique since it is a liquid at normal
temperature

 Its high specific gravity and electrical
conductivity, has brought about its
widespread use in industries

 Industrial facilities use mercury in their
processes / products
 chlor-alkali plants
 thermometers, barometers, fluorescent light

Introduction

 Both inorganic and organic mercury
can cause serious health effects

 Organic forms of mercury are generally
more toxic than inorganic forms

 It is possible for inorganic mercury to be biologically transformed
into organic mercury

 Therefore, it is important to control inorganic mercury leaching from
mercury containing wastes

Introduction

 Inappropriate waste dumping during the early stages of industrialization
resulted in mercury contamination in soil

 In Taiwan, spills, leaks and accidental discharges of mercury containing
chemicals have contaminated soil at several sites

 Injuries by mercury toxicity have been observed in Japan, Iraq, Pakistan
and NM of the United States

Mercury In The Environment

 Sources of mercury emissions
could be placed in three
categories:

 natural
 anthropogenic
 re-emitted sources

 Mercury re-emission is the
remobilization of settled
mercury


Natural sources of mercury emission

 Degassing from mercury mineral
deposits

 Degassing from mercury contaminated
aquatic and terrestrial systems

 Volcanic emissions

 Forest fires


Anthropogenic sources of mercury emission

 Solid waste incineration (municipal and medical wastes)
 Coal and oil combustion
 Pyrometallurgical processes (iron, lead, and zinc)
 Production of mercury and gold

Among these sources, coal combustion and solid waste incineration
account for more than half of the total global emissions


 All over the world, other important industrial sources of mercury
emissions into the environment include the manufacture of:

 cement
 electrical apparatus
 pulp and paper
 thermometers and fluorescent lamps

 In the United States, it is estimated that about 97% of total
anthropogenic mercury emissions come from combustion and
industrial sources

Exposure To Mercury

 Mercury in the air eventually settles
into water or onto land where it can
be washed into water

 Once deposited, certain micro-
organisms can change it into
methylmercury

 This highly toxic form of mercury builds
up in fish, shellfish and animals that eat
fish

Exposure To Mercury

 Methylmercury builds up more in some types of fish and shellfish
than others

 The levels of methylmercury in fish and shellfish depend on
 what they eat
 how long they live
 how high they are in the food chain

 Fish and shellfish are the main sources of methylmercury exposure to
humans

Exposure To Mercury

 Another less common exposure to mercury that can be a concern is
breathing mercury vapor

 These exposures can occur when elemental mercury or products that
contain elemental mercury break and release mercury to the air

 Particularly in warm or poorly-ventilated indoor spaces

Effect of Mercury on Human
Health & Environment

 Mercury exposure at high levels can harm the:
 brain, heart
 kidneys, lungs
 immune system of people of all ages

 High levels of methylmercury in the bloodstream of unborn babies
and young children may harm the developing nervous system

 Making the child less able to think and learn

 The factors that determine how severe
the health effects are, from mercury
exposure, include:
 the chemical form of mercury
 the dose
 the age of the person exposed (the fetus is
the most susceptible)
 the duration of exposure
 the route of exposure - inhalation,
ingestion, dermal contact, etc
 the health of the person exposed

Ecological effects of mercury

 Birds and mammals that eat fish are more exposed to mercury than
other animals in ecosystems

 Similarly, predators that eat fish-eating animals may be highly
exposed

 At high levels of exposure, methylmercury's harmful effects on these
animals include:
 death, reduced reproduction
 slower growth and development, and abnormal behavior


 EPA works with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and
with states and tribes to issue advice to women
 who may become pregnant
 pregnant women, nursing mothers
 and parents of young children
about how often they should eat certain types of
commercially-caught fish and shellfish

 EPA releases an annual summary of information on locally-issued fish
advisories and safe-eating guidelines to the public

Laws & Regulations on Mercury

 Laws and regulations are a major tool in
protecting the environment

 Congress passes laws (statutes) that govern the
United States

 To put those laws into effect, Congress authorizes certain
government agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) to create and enforce regulations

 Regulations provide specific rules and details for how to put the law
into practice


Under certain Federal environmental statutes, such as
the CAA, CWA, and RCRA,

 EPA has the responsibility to develop regulations to
control some mercury emissions to air, water, or from
wastes and products

 In addition, states also develop regulations to
address mercury emissions


Mercury-Specific Laws
Mercury Export Ban Act of 2008
 President George W. Bush signed into law the Mercury Export Ban
Act of 2008 on October 14, 2008

 The Act includes provisions on both mercury exports and long-term
mercury management and storage

 U.S. is ranked one of the world‘s top exporters of mercury. Thus,
implementation of the act will remove a significant amount of
mercury from the global market


Mercury-Containing and Rechargeable Battery Management
Act of 1996 (Battery Act)
 The statute applies to battery and product manufacturers, battery
waste handlers, and certain battery and product importers and
retailers
 Phases out the use of mercury in batteries
 Provides for the efficient and cost-effective disposal of used:
 nickel cadmium (Ni-Cd) batteries
 small sealed lead-acid (SSLA) batteries
 certain other regulated batteries


Other Environmental Laws that Limit Mercury Exposures
Clean Air Act
 The CAA regulates 188 air toxics, also known as ―hazardous air
pollutants‖
 Mercury is one of these air toxics

The Clean Air Mercury Rule
 EPA regulated mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants


Clean Water Act
 Under the CWA, states adopt water quality standards for their
rivers, streams, lakes, and wetlands
 These standards identify levels for pollutants, including mercury, that
must be met in order to protect human health, fish, and wildlife

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
 RCRA requires that EPA manage hazardous wastes, including
mercury wastes, from the time they are generated, through storage
and transportation, to their ultimate treatment and disposal


Safe Drinking Water Act
 Under the SDWA, EPA sets standards for drinking water that apply
to public water systems

 These standards protect people by limiting levels of mercury and
other contaminants in drinking water

 Mercury contamination in drinking water can come from:
 erosion of natural deposits of mercury
 discharges into water from refineries and factories
 runoff from landfills

Remediation Processes of
Mercury-Contaminated Sites

 Mercury is persistent in the environment
 Effective remedial methods need to be applied to lower mercury
levels in heavily contaminated sites

In general, four kinds of treatments of contaminated sediment are
available:

 In situ containment
 In situ treatment
 Ex situ containment
 Ex situ treatment

 Thermal desorption
 Usually, an ‗‗ex situ‖ remedial technology
 Converts mercurial compounds into the volatile mercury
 Considered as a preferred technology, due to more safety and
less emission of treating substance

 Stabilization / Solidification
 Vitrification
 Soil flushing
 Soil washing

Capping
 In situ capping (ISC) is on site placement of proper covering
material over contaminated sediment in aquatic systems

 In ex situ capping (ESC), contaminated sediment is dredged and
relocated to another site, where one or multiple isolating layers
are placed over the sediment


 Source Control
 Dredging
 Natural Attenuation

Case Study

Minamata Mercury Pollution
 Minamata - a fishing village in the south of Japan, on the Minamata bay, is
the site of one of humanity‘s most tragic cases of industrial pollution
 It was caused by the release of methylmercury in the industrial wastewater
from Chisso Corporation's chemical factory

Case Study

Root Cause Assessment of Impact of Minamata Symptoms of Minamata
Minamata Pollution Pollution Disease

 Indiscriminate dumping of  Huge quantities of mercury General
wastewater detected in fish, shellfish and  Muscle weakness
sludge in Minamata bay
 Absence of wastewater  Damage to hearing,
treatment facility  Stigmatization and vision and speech
discrimination against  Crippling hands
 Economic clout of Chisso patients and feet
Corporation
 Dredging and reclamation
done to remove the toxic Extreme Cases
sludge from the Minamata  Paralysis
bay  Coma
 Death

Summary

 Introduction to mercury pollution

 Mercury in the environment

 Exposure to mercury

 Effects of mercury on human health and environment

 Laws and regulations on mercury

 Remediation processes of mercury-contaminated sites

 Case Study
 Minamata Mercury Pollution

References
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