Abstract
This work assesses mercury in agricultural products of Mt. Amiata (central Italy), an area characterized by the presence of important HgS deposits, and by intense mercury mining and smelting activities in the past. The results show that at some sampling stations the Hg contents in vegetables, meat, and other products were high. The relations between agricultural products, soil and air mercury concentrations are discussed, and consideration is given to possible dangers to human health for residents of the Mt. Amiata area.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bargagli R, Baldi F (1984) Mercury and methyl mercury in higher fungi and their relation with the substrata in a cinnabar mining area. Chemosphere 13:1059–1071
Barghigiani C, Bargagli R (1987) Mercury uptake by plants in a mining area. In: Giovannozzi-Sermanni G, Nannipieri P (eds) Current perspectives in environmental biogeochemistry. CNR-IPRA, Rome, p 309
Barghigiani C, Bauleo R (1992) Mining area environmental mercury assessment using Abies alba. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 49:31–36
Barghigiani C, De Ranieri S (1992) Mercury content in different size classes of important edible species of the northern Tyrrhenian sea. Mar Pollut Bull 24:114–116
Barghigiani C, Pellegrini D, D'Ulivo A, De Ranieri S (1991) Mercury assessment and its relation to selenium levels in edible species of the Northern Tyrrhenian Sea. Mar Pollut Bull 22:406–409
Barghigiani C, Ristori T, Cortopassi M (1991) Air mercury measurements and interferences of atmospheric contaminants with gold traps. Environ Technol 12:935–941
Barghigiani C, Siegel BZ, Bargagli R, S.M. Sigel (1989) The contribution of mercury from thermal springs to the environmental contamination of Mt. Amiata. Water Air Soil Pollut 43:169–175
Bombace MA, Cigna-Rossi L, Clemente GF, Zuccaro-Labellarte G, Allegrini M, Lanzola L, Gatti L (1983) Ricerca ecologica sulle zone mercurifere del Monte Amiata. Igiene Sanità Pubblica 29:191–237
Breder R, Flucth R (1984) Mercury levels in the atmosphere of various regions and locations in Italy. Sci Total Environ 40:231–244
Brown CL, Fang SC (1978) Uptake of mercury vapour by wheat, an assimilation model. Plant Physiol 61:430–433
Ferrara R, Maserti B, Breder R (1991) Mercury in abiotic and biotic compartments of an area affected by a geochemical anomaly (Mt. Amiata, Italy). Water Air Soil Pollut 56:219–233
Galoppini C, Pelosi P (1972) Ulteriori indagini sulla distribuzione del mercurio nelle piante del monte Amiata. In: Giardini (ed) L'agricoltura Italiana. Pisa 1:29–33
Giglioni GY (1909) Contributo allo studio dell'idrargirismo professionale nel bacino del M. Amiata (Siena). Il Ramazzini 3:230–396
Lindberg SE, Jackson DR, Huckabee JW, Jansen SA, Levin MJ, Lund JR (1979) Atmospheric emission and plant uptake of mercury from agricultural soil near the Almadén mercury mine. J Environ Qual 8:572–578
Matt KJ (1972) Mercury from soil by various plant species. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 8:77–80
Renzoni A, Bacci E, Falciai L (1973) Mercury concentration in the water, sediments and fauna of an area of the Tyrrhenian coast. Rev Int Ocean Med 31:17–45
Ristori T, Barghigiani C (1993) Average mercury intake with italian diet. In: Trace substances in the environment. Lewis Publishers, Chelsea, MI (in press)
UNEP/FAO/WHO (1987) Assessment of the state of pollution of the Mediterranean sea by mercury and mercury compounds. MAP Tech Rep Series No 18
WHO (1980) Report on consultation to re-examine the WHO environmental health criteria for mercury. Geneva, April 21–25, 1980
Zadro M (1993) Il paese di lunga vita. La Repubblica 44:VII
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Barghigiani, C., Ristori, T. Mercury levels in agricultural products of Mt. Amiata (Tuscany, Italy). Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 26, 329–334 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00203559
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00203559