Stimulation of elemental mercury oxidation by SH compounds

Anthropogenic mercury pollution has been a serious environmental problem. The presence of mercury in the environment has received a great deal of attention due to its highly toxic nature and translocation through the food chain. Elemental mercury released into the Amazon River basin due to gold mining activities is roughly estimated at 130 tons per year. In fact, high levels of total mercury, mostly in the form of methylmercury, in fish collected from around the gold mining areas and high levels of methylmercury in the hair of humans living in fishing villages downstream of these areas have recently been documented. These results suggest that the reaction which converts the discharged elemental mercury into mercuric mercury is present in nature before the methylation of the generated mercuric mercury. Methylation and reduction of mercuric mercury and decomposition of organomercury have been extensively studied. However, little information is available concerning the conversion of elemental mercury in aquatic ecosystems. The purpose of this study was to clarify the mechanism of oxidation of elemental mercury to mercuric mercury in the aquatic environment. 11 refs., 4 figs.