Mercury (Hg) exposure poses substantial risks to human health. Investigating a longer chain from economic activities to human health can reveal the sources and critical processes of Hg-related health risks. Thus, we develop a more comprehensive assessment method which is applied to mainland China—the largest global Hg emitter. We present a map of Hg-related health risks in China and estimate that 0.14 points of per-foetus intelligence quotient (IQ) decrements and 7,360 deaths from fatal heart attacks are related to the intake of methylmercury in 2010. This study, for the first time, reveals the significant impacts of interprovincial trade on Hg-related health risks across the whole country. For instance, interprovincial trade induced by final consumption prevents 0.39 × 10
−2
points for per-foetus IQ decrements and 194 deaths from fatal heart attacks. These findings highlight the importance of policy decisions in different stages of economic supply chains to reduce Hg-related health risks.
Mercury (Hg) is of global concern because of its adverse effects on humans and the environment. In addition to long-range atmospheric transport, Hg emissions can be geographically relocated through economic trade. Here, we investigate the effect of China's interregional trade on atmospheric Hg deposition over China, using an atmospheric transport model and multiregional input-output analysis. In general, total atmospheric Hg deposition over China is 408.8 Mg yr, and 32% of this is embodied in China's interregional trade, with the hotspots occurring over Gansu, Henan, Hebei, and Yunnan provinces. Interprovincial trade considerably redistributes atmospheric Hg deposition over China, with a range in deposition flux from -104% to +28%. Developed regions, such as the Yangtze River Delta (Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang) and Guangdong, avoid Hg deposition over their geographical boundaries, instead causing additional Hg deposition over developing provinces. Bilateral interaction among provinces is strong over some regions, suggesting a need for joint mitigation, such as the Jing-Jin-Ji region (Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei) and the Yangtze River Delta. Transferring advanced technology from developed regions to their developing trade partners would be an effective measure to mitigate China's Hg pollution. Our findings are relevant to interprovincial efforts to reduce trans-boundary Hg pollution in China.
Samples of total suspended particulates (TSPs) and <10
μm fractions (PM10) collected daily from in and around two
industrial districts in Shanghai, China, during November
1998 have been examined using environmental magnetic
measurements. Statistical classifications of the data show
that the 11 sampling sites can be classified into four
categories of magnetic properties, each expressing a
different combination of mainly local dust sources. Changes
in meteorological conditions, particularly wind direction,
cause daily shifts in particulate types and sources.
Interpretation of the magnetic parameters suggests roughly
constant proportions of high coercivity (“hematite”) and
low coercivity (“magnetite”) mineral phases with a
predominance of ferrimagnetic grains in superparamagnetic
(SP) and multidomain (MD) + pseudo single domain
(PSD) sizes. Negative linear correlations between TSP
concentrations and ferrimagnetic concentration parameters
suggest that the dominant source of TSPs is weakly
magnetic. Mass specific susceptibility (χLF), saturation
isothermal remanence (SIRM), susceptibility of anhysteretic
remanent magnetization (χARM), and high field remanence
magnetization (HIRM) appear to discriminate the different
dusts from a range of sources, including iron and steel
manufacturing, coal-fired combustion, construction industries
and wind-blown soil. Measurements on samples from
modern chimney stacks suggest that magnetic phases from
coal-fired combustion processes are dominantly carried
in <10 μm particle fractions. Strongly ferrimagnetic particles
in TSPs are probably linked more to combustion products
from older technologies. PM10 samples appear to originate
from a wide range of sources including combustion products
and construction materials. Given previously reported
links between magnetic properties and mutagenicity in
respirable particulates, the results may help to identify areas
of high health risk. The results demonstrate that magnetic
measurements provide an exceptionally simple and
effective approach for identifying daily variations in
particulate loadings and sources in this urban environment.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.