Mercury accumulation in Tennessee River Valley mosses

Journal Article · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1974 · J Ala Acad Sci; (United States)

OSTI ID:5025529

Landers, M; Brown, J

Moss accumulation of mercury via precipitation and not substrate absorption would serve to provide indication of mercury contamination in the atmosphere. Collections of the moss Cirriphyllum illecebrum were made in industrialized and nonindustrialized areas of Colbert County, Alabama. Flameless atomic absorption spectrophotometry was used to quantitatively determine mercury concentrations in these mosses using a sulfuric acid - nitric acid digestion procedure. Results of these analyses indicate that the moss accumulates mercury only to the level of about 0.1 part per million, not considered significant, and that there is no appreciable differences in levels found in industrial and nonindustrial locations. Additional collections and technique refinement are hoped to provide further information on the accumulation.

• Research Organization: Florence State Univ., AL
• OSTI ID: 5025529
• Journal Information: J Ala Acad Sci; (United States), Journal Name: J Ala Acad Sci; (United States) Vol. 45:3
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

510200* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ABSORPTION SPECTROSCOPY
ALABAMA
BIOLOGICAL ACCUMULATION
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
ELEMENTS
FEDERAL REGION IV
MERCURY
METALS
MOSSES
NORTH AMERICA
PLANTS
RURAL AREAS
SPECTROSCOPY
URBAN AREAS
USA