Water, Air, and Soil Pollution

, Volume 55, Issue 3–4, pp 283–294 | Cite as

Mercury dispersal in water, sediments and aquatic biota of a gold mining tailing deposit drainage in pocone, Brazil

  • L. D. Lacerda
  • W. C. Pfeiffer
  • R. V. Marins
  • S. Rodrigues
  • C. M. M. Souza
  • W. R. Bastos
Article
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Revised:

Abstract

In the Pocone district, Brazil, Hg distribution was studied in a small watershed which drains tailings from a 10 yr old gold mining operation. Heavy regional rains are responsible for continuous weathering, thereby making it possible to transport Hg into the ecologically important Pantanal area. Mercury concentrations in creek sediments range from < 0.02 to 0.18 mg. kg−1. The highest concentrations occur close to the tailings deposit. Mercury concentrations in the water were always below the detection limit of the analytical method used (<0.04 µg. L−1). Suspended matter samples collected before, during and after a storm, showed a Hg peak value of 0.61 mg kg−1. about 30 min after the event. Dissolved Hg concentration still fell below the detection limit. Among the biota, molluscs accumulated moderately high concentrations of Hg, while macrophytes and fish did not. Mercury concentrations in molluscs were dependent on size, with larger animals presenting higher Hg concentration. We conclude that Hg present in the tailings shows low mobility and that its eventual transport into the drainage system is dependent on the erosion of fine material from the wastes during rains, resulting in a restricted contamination of the area and low Hg concentration in the biota.

Keywords

Macrophyte Gold Mining Mercury Concentration Aquatic Biota Small Watershed 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Copyright information

© Kluwer Academic Publishers 1991

Authors and Affiliations

  • L. D. Lacerda
    • 1
    • 2
  • W. C. Pfeiffer
    • 3
  • R. V. Marins
    • 4
  • S. Rodrigues
    • 4
  • C. M. M. Souza
    • 3
  • W. R. Bastos
    • 3
  1. 1.Departamento de GeoquimicaUniversidade Federal FluminenseRio de JaneiroBrazil
  2. 2.Centro de Tecnologia Mineral (CETEM)Rio de JaneiroBrazil
  3. 3.Instituto de Biofisica Carlos Chagas FilhoUniversidade Federal do Rio de JaneiroBrazil
  4. 4.Centro de Tecnologia Mineral (CETEM)Ilha do FundaoRio de Janeiro

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