High levels of mercury contamination in multiple media of the Carson River Drainage Basin of Nevada: Implications for risk assessment

Journal Article · Thu Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1994 · Environmental Health Perspectives; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.94102772· OSTI ID:6870500

Gustin, M S; Taylor, Jr, G E; Leonard, T L ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Nevada, Reno, NV (United States) Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV (United States)

Approximately 5.5 x 10[sup 9] g (4.0 x 10[sup 5] l) of mercury was discharged into the Carson River Drainage Basin of west-central Nevada during processing of the gold- and silver-rich Comstock ore in the late 1800s. For the past 13 decades, mercury has been redistributed throughout 500 km[sup 2] of the basin, and concentrations are some of the highest reported values in North America. This article documents the concentration of mercury in the air, water, and substrate at both contaminated and noncontaminated sites within the basin and discusses the implications for risk assessment. At contaminated areas, the range of mercury concentrations are as follows: mill tailings, 3-1610 [mu]g/g; unfiltered reservoir water, 53-591 ng/l; atmospheric vapor, 2-294 ng/m[sup 3]. These values are three to five orders of magnitude greater than natural background. In all media at contaminated sites, concentrations are spatially variable, and air and water mercury concentrations vary temporally. The study area is situated in a natural mercuriferous belt, and regional background mercury concentrations in all environmental media are higher than values typically cited for natural background. As a mercury-contaminated site in North America, the Carson River Drainage Basin is unusual for a number of reasons, including its location in a natural mercuriferous belt, high and sustained levels of anthropogenic mercury inputs, long exposure time, aridity of the climate, and the riparian setting in an arid landscape, where biological activity is concentrated in the same areas that contain high levels of mercury in multiple media. 37 refs., 4 figs., 3 tabs.

• OSTI ID: 6870500
• Journal Information: Environmental Health Perspectives; (United States), Journal Name: Environmental Health Perspectives; (United States) Vol. 102:9; ISSN EVHPAZ; ISSN 0091-6765
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540120 -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
540220 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
540320 -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
560300* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AIR POLLUTION
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ECOSYSTEMS
ELEMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE PATHWAY
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
LAND POLLUTION
MERCURY
METALS
MILL TAILINGS
POLLUTION
RISK ASSESSMENT
SOLID WASTES
TAILINGS
WASTES
WATER POLLUTION
WETLANDS