Walker Tony R
School for Resource and Environmental Studies, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2016 Jun 15;107(1):398-401. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.03.033. Epub 2016 Mar 23.
Concentrations of total mercury (THg) were measured in coastal marine sediments near a former chlor-alkali plant in Chaleur Bay, New Brunswick. The chlor-alkali plant has been a local point source of THg since operation began in 1963. Historical THg contamination of marine sediments and biota has been widely reported. No baseline assessment has been conducted following plant closure in 2008. Surface (0-2cm) oxidized marine sediments were sampled along a single 5.2km transect radiating from the former plant and analysed for THg. THg concentrations ranged from 0.04-0.28μgg(-1). Some localised THg concentrations exceeded Canadian marine sediment quality guidelines (n=4), but all samples (n=14) were significantly lower than previous studies conducted during plant operation. Plant closure (source control) and natural sediment recovery likely responsible for attenuating THg concentrations, but burial in deeper anoxic sediments may increase bioavilability of Hg that could pose ecological risks to marine biota.
对新不伦瑞克省沙勒尔湾一家前氯碱厂附近的沿海海洋沉积物中的总汞（THg）浓度进行了测量。自1963年投产以来，该氯碱厂一直是当地的一个汞点源。海洋沉积物和生物群的历史汞污染已有广泛报道。2008年该厂关闭后，尚未进行基线评估。沿着从前工厂辐射出的一条5.2公里长的单一断面采集了表层（0 - 2厘米）氧化海洋沉积物样本，并对总汞进行了分析。总汞浓度范围为0.04 - 0.28μg g⁻¹。一些局部的总汞浓度超过了加拿大海洋沉积物质量指南（n = 4），但所有样本（n = 14）均显著低于该厂运营期间进行的先前研究结果。工厂关闭（源头控制）和自然沉积物恢复可能是总汞浓度降低的原因，但汞在更深层缺氧沉积物中的埋藏可能会增加汞的生物有效性，从而对海洋生物群构成生态风险。
