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Table 7 Some examples of surface soil layer contamination with mercury in regions of important sources of emissions by various authors

From: Mercury in the terrestrial environment: a review

Country

Location

Source of pollution

Period

Total Hg

mg kg−1

Mean/median

Author

USA

Alaska

Hg-mining

 

0.05–5326

 

Bailey et al. [125]

USA

Texas

Hg-mining

 

3.8–11

 

Gray et al. [202]

China

Wuchuan

Hg-mining

2003

0.33–320

 

Qiu et al. [92]

China

Wanshan

Hg-mining

2002

5.1–790

 

Qiu et al. [108]

China

Xiaoqinling

Gold mining

 

0.04–61.2

Mean 2.75

Wu et al. [203]

Slovenia

Idrija

Hg-mining

1991–97

1734–2759

Mean 2456

Gnamuš et al. [97]

 

Hg-mining

2000–01

24–1055

Median 47

Gosar et al. [127]

Slovenia

Podljubelj

Hg-mining

2003–04

0.35–244

Median 3.7

Teršič et al. [204]

Slovakia

Rudnany

Hg-mining

 

9.1–54.3

 

Banásová [205]

Spain

Almaden

Hg-mining

 

6–8889

Mean 604

Higueras et al. [126]

Spain

Almaden

Hg-mining

 

1340–4830

 

Dago et al. [157]

Spain

Caunedo

Old Hg-mining

 

0.09–50.0

Mean 13.1

Boente et al. [206]

Italy

Vallalta

Old Hg-mining

 

6–21

 

Wahsha et al. [207]

Turkey

Halıköy

Hg mining

2004

0.10–33

Mean 5.5

Gemici et al. [208]

China

Tongguan

Artisanal gold mining

 

0.69–23.7

Mean 2.91

Xiao et al. [209]

China

Wanshan

Hg-mining, artisanal gold

2012

0.5–187

Mean 31.0

Yin et al. [210]

China

Guizhou

Acetic acid

2016

1.09–3.71

 

Li et al. [93]

Italy

Mt. Amiata,

Hg mining, volcano-geothermal 

 

2.4–68

 

Chiarantini et al. [211]

France

Vosges Mountains

Chlor-alkali

2002

0.16–3.99

 

Hissler and Probst [212]

France

Grenoble

Chlor-alkali

 

1.3–10

 

Grangeon et al. [213]

Kazakhstan

Pavlodar

Chlor-alkali

 

0.93–22.3

 

Ullrich et al. [214]

Spain

Flix

Chlor-alkali

 

0.04–12.9

Mean 0.77

Esbrí et al. [215]

Germany

 

Chlor-alkali

 

0.5–4.2

Mean 1.6

Biester et al. [216]

Netherlands

 

Chlor-alkali

2004

4.3–1150

 

Bernaus et al. [128]

Portugal

Estarreja

Chlor-alkali

 

0.010–91

Mean 5.4

Reis et al. [217]

China

Huludao

Chlor-alkali Zn-smelting

2006–08

0.05–14.6

 

Zheng et al. [218]

China

An Ning

Chlor-alkali

 

0.09–1.30 

Mean 0.40 

Song et al. [219]

China

Kunming

Chlor-alkali polyvinyl chloride

 

0.15–4.79

 

Zhu et al. [220]

Portugal

Caveira

Sulfide mine

 

1.1–76.5

 

Reis et al. [221]

China

Lianyuan

Coal main, steel industry

2015

1.20–3601

Mean 178

Liang et al. [222]

China

Zhuzhou

Zn/Pb smelter

2012

0.62–2.61

Mean 1.54

Wu et al. [223]

China

Chongqing

Thermometer factory

 

0.06–0.88

 

Wang et al. [224]

Czech Rep.

Bohemian

non-ferrous metal 

2017

6.49

 

Navrátil et al. [225]

Switzerland

Canton of Valais

Industrial region

2017

0.2–390 

 

Osterwalder et al. [85]

Poland

Warsaw

Thermometer factory

2005

122–393

Mean 147

Boszke et al. [140]

Pakistan

Karachi/Lahore

Highway

 

61.5–144

Mean 90.7

Khan et al. [226]

Germany

Rhine-Westph.

Floodplain soil

2017

31.2

 

Beckers et al. [227]

Italy

Etna

Volcano

 

0.1–0.4

 

Bonanno et al. [228]

European Union

 

23,000 samples

2009–12

0–1.59

Mean 0.04

Tóth et al. [120]