Mercury concentrations in wetlands associated with coal-fired power plants

Weir, Scott M.; Halbrook, Richard S.; Sparling, Donald W.

doi:10.1007/s10646-009-0413-3

Cited by 9 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Hg‐enriched sediment cores were reported by Furl and Meredith () whereas Sackett et al () found that sunfish collected proximal to coal‐fired power plants had elevated tissue Se concentrations. In contrast, both Pinkney et al () and Weir et al () observed no evidence of increased THg tissue concentrations in fish and frog samples, respectively, in samples collected adjacent to coal power plants. The results from this study demonstrated no evidence of elevated concentrations of As, THg, MeHg, or Se in fish sampled proximal to coal‐fired Ohio River power plants.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Mercury and other trace elements in Ohio River fish collected near coal‐fired power plants: Interspecific patterns and consideration of consumption risks

Reash¹,

Brown

Merritt³

2015

Integr Envir Assess & Manag

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Many coal-fired electric generating facilities in the United States are discharging higher loads of Hg, Se, and other chemicals to receiving streams due to the installation of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) air pollution control units. There are regulatory concerns about the potential increased uptake of these bioaccumulative trace elements into food webs. We evaluated the concentrations of As, total Hg (THg), methylmercury (MeHg), and Se in Ohio River fish collected proximal to coal-fired power plants, of which 75% operate FGD systems. Fillet samples (n = 50) from 6 fish species representing 3 trophic levels were analyzed. Geometric mean fillet concentrations of THg (wet wt), MeHg (wet wt), and Se (dry wt) in 3 species were 0.136, 0.1181, and 3.19 mg/kg (sauger); 0.123, 0.1013, and 1.56 mg/kg (channel catfish); and 0.127, 0.0914, and 3.30 mg/kg (hybrid striped bass). For all species analyzed, only 3 fillet samples (6% of total) had MeHg concentrations that exceeded the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) human health criterion (0.3 mg/kg wet wt); all of these were freshwater drum aged ≥ 19 y. None of the samples analyzed exceeded the USEPA proposed muscle and whole body Se thresholds for protection against reproductive effects in freshwater fish. All but 8 fillet samples had a total As concentration less than 1.0 mg/kg dry wt. Mean Se health benefit values (HBVSe ) for all species were ≥ 4, indicating that potential Hg-related health risks associated with consumption of Ohio River fish are likely to be offset by adequate Se concentrations. Overall, we observed no measurable evidence of enhanced trace element bioaccumulation associated with proximity to power plant FGD facilities, however, some enhanced bioaccumulation could have occurred in the wastewater mixing zones. Furthermore, available evidence indicates that, due to hydraulic and physical factors, the main stem Ohio River appears to have low net Hg methylation potential.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Mercury and other trace elements in Ohio River fish collected near coal‐fired power plants: Interspecific patterns and consideration of consumption risks

Reash¹,

Brown

Merritt³

2015

Integr Envir Assess & Manag

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“…Areas downwind of coal-fired generating stations can be affected by local deposition of Hg; for example, Jardine et al (2009b) found declining concentrations of Hg in lichen from sites increasing in distance from a generating station in New Brunswick, Canada. However, the proximity of habitats to point sources of airborne Hg cannot explain all the variability observed in Hg concentrations among amphibians, fish, and freshwater invertebrates (Pinkney et al, 1997;Jardine et al, 2009b;Weir et al, 2010). Thus, it seems that while some systems will receive elevated inputs of Hg from nearby point sources, bacterial demethylation and localized factors such as wind patterns and the sensitivity of ecosystems are also important determinants of the concentrations of Hg that accumulate in food webs.…”

Section: Watershed Characteristics and Human Activitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification of Mercury through Food Webs

Kidd

Clayden

Jardine

2011

Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology of Mercury

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Mercury in Tadpoles Collected from Remote Alpine Sites in the Southern Sierra Nevada Mountains, California, USA

Bradford¹,

Kramer

Gerstenberger

et al. 2011

Arch Environ Contam Toxicol

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Amphibians in alpine wetlands of the Sierra Nevada mountains comprise key components of an aquatic-terrestrial food chain, and mercury contamination is a concern because concentrations in fish from this region exceed thresholds of risk to piscivorous wildlife. Total mercury concentrations were measured in whole tadpoles of the Sierra chorus frog, Pseudacris sierra, two times at 27 sites from high elevations (2786-3375 m) in the southern Sierra Nevada. Median mercury concentrations were 14 ng/g wet weight (154 ng/g dry weight), which were generally low in comparison to tadpoles of 15 other species/location combinations from studies that represented both highly contaminated and minimally contaminated sites. Mercury concentrations in P. sierra were below concentrations known to be harmful in premetamorphic tadpoles of another species and below threshold concentrations for risk to predaceous wildlife. Concentrations in tadpoles were also lower than those observed in predaceous fish in the study region presumably because tadpoles in the present study were much younger (1-2 months) than fish in the other study (3-10 years), and tadpoles represent a lower trophic level than these fish. Mercury concentrations were not related to distance from the adjacent San Joaquin Valley, a source of agricultural and industrial pollutants.

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Mercury concentrations in wetlands associated with coal-fired power plants

Cited by 9 publications

References 47 publications

Mercury and other trace elements in Ohio River fish collected near coal‐fired power plants: Interspecific patterns and consideration of consumption risks

Mercury and other trace elements in Ohio River fish collected near coal‐fired power plants: Interspecific patterns and consideration of consumption risks

Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification of Mercury through Food Webs

Mercury in Tadpoles Collected from Remote Alpine Sites in the Southern Sierra Nevada Mountains, California, USA

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