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U.S. Department of Energy
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Decline in lead transport by the Mississippi River

Journal Article · · Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States)
Inputs of pollutant lead to the Gulf of Mexico from the Mississippi River have declined by about 40% within the past decade. This decrease has been determined from annual lead loads of the Mississippi River and from the lead record in Mississippi Delta sediments. The observed trend is consistent with reduced consumption of lead in gasoline in the US. More than 90% of the riverborne lead is associated with suspended sediments. Most of this particle-bound lead is deposited within 50 kilometers of the river mouth and is not easily leached at pH values above 3. 15 references, 4 figures.
Research Organization:
Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne
OSTI ID:
6026046
Journal Information:
Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States), Journal Name: Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States) Vol. 230; ISSN SCIEA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English