Environmental and biomonitoring mercury research in the Crimean region

Abstract

Effective mercury monitoring in ecosystems and humans is needed as a primary step to estimate regional ecological mercury standards based on environmental depositions and due to the technogenic influence. This aim of the study is to evaluate and summarize all the present data of environmental and biomonitoring alone and in combination to provide the most relevant strategies for medico-ecological monitoring in the Crimea. The methods used in the study. Mercury content in hair was determined by atomic adsorption analysis using mercury analyzer RА-915+ with PYRO-915 attachment in the laboratory of nuclear-geochemical methods of investigation at the Department of Geoecology and Geochemistry in National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University. The results. The authors have determined mercury heterogeneous distribution in biosubstrates (hair) of people living in northern, eastern, western, southern and central regions of Crimean peninsula that might be caused by environmental depositions and due to the technogenic influence with values not exceeding the maximum permissible concentrations. The lowest mercury values (min=0,033 mkg/g, max=0,072 mkg/g) were observed in hair of people living in rural areas of the central region and the highest content (min=0,178 mkg/g, max=0,312 mkg/g) was noted among people living in eastern and especially in southern (min=0,134 mkg/g, max=0,505 mkg/g) regions of the Crimean peninsula. Although the comparison with the data of environmental field studies based on the European standards (critical loads) estimation and assessment of their exceedances, as well as previously revealed physiological effects at similar levels of Hg indicate insufficient information provided by traditional hygienic standards alone and emphasize the areas for further research.

Keywords

• mercury
• critical loads
• soil
• hair
• Crimean peninsula