Monitoring of Mercury in Air from the Abandoned Mercury Mine Area using Direct Mercury Analyzer
Year: 2020
Type: article
Abstract: The abandoned mercury mine area in Puerto Princesa City, Philippines was included in the list of abandoned and inactive mines in the Philippines that was characterized with high risk to human health and the environment because of its bare and unvegetated soils.In this study, total mercury in the ambient air was measured to assess the distribution of it in the vicinity of the mine.A rapid monitoring of mercury in the area was conducted using handheld air sampling pump with sorbent trap positioned above the ground during dry and wet seasons in 2019.Mercury in sorbent traps were analyzed by direct mercury analyzer.Results showed that during dry season, the site with the highest mercury concentrations (2,035 -2,138 ng/m 3 ) in the air was located at the mine waste calcine deposits, exposed natural soils and rock outcrops, northeast of the pit lake.Air collected from the perimeter of pit lake has mercury concentrations of 8.44 -61.63 ng/m 3 which is close to the concentrations reported in 2002.During wet season sampling, lower mercury concentrations (9.13 -65.86 ng/m 3 ) were measured near the mine waste calcine deposit which suggest that particulate pollutants, including mercury, were washed out by precipitation.Results from this study suggest that monitoring of mercury in the air using a handheld sampler with sorbent followed by direct mercury analyzer can be a useful method for the rapid measurement of mercury concentrations which can be used for risk assessment of mercury exposure from air.
Institution: Philippine Nuclear Research Institute
Language: English
Subfield: Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W3094293162