Churchill R C, Meathrel C E, Suter P J
Department of Environmental Management and Ecology, La Trobe University, Wodonga, Victoria, Australia 3690.
Environ Pollut. 2004 Nov;132(2):355-63. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2004.03.001.
The mining of gold can lead to toxic metals such as mercury (Hg) contaminating watercourses as by-products. The Reedy Creek sub-catchment, in northeast Victoria, Australia, was mined for gold in the 1850s. In 1998, samples were taken from six watercourses to measure any remaining toxic metal contamination in sediments and surface waters from two creeks with no previous gold mining (controls) and four that were mined. Although mean concentrations of Hg (measured using an ICP-OES) in sediments were below worldwide background levels, individual sites along Reedy Creek had slightly elevated Hg concentrations. In contrast, the Hg concentrations in the surface waters were above background levels. Temporal fluxes of very high Hg concentrations in the surface waters during periods of first flow and flood events revealed that Hg concentrations in the surface waters may, at certain times of the year, exceed all Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council (National Water Quality Management Strategy. Australian Water Quality Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Waters, ANZECC, 2000) guidelines for water use and the protection of the aquatic ecosystem.
金矿开采会导致汞（Hg）等有毒金属作为副产品污染水道。澳大利亚维多利亚州东北部的里迪溪子流域在19世纪50年代曾进行过金矿开采。1998年，从六条水道采集了样本，以测量两条此前未进行过金矿开采的溪流（对照）和四条曾被开采过的溪流的沉积物和地表水中残留的有毒金属污染情况。尽管沉积物中汞的平均浓度（使用电感耦合等离子体发射光谱仪测量）低于全球背景水平，但里迪溪沿线的个别地点汞浓度略有升高。相比之下，地表水中的汞浓度高于背景水平。首次水流和洪水事件期间地表水中极高汞浓度的时间通量表明，地表水中的汞浓度在一年中的某些时候可能会超过澳大利亚和新西兰环境与保护委员会（《国家水质管理战略。澳大利亚淡水和海水水质指南》，澳大利亚和新西兰环境与保护委员会，2000年）关于用水和保护水生生态系统的所有指导方针。
