The dynamics of mercury around an artisanal and small-scale gold mining area, Camarines Norte, Philippines.

To elucidate the dynamics of mercury emitted and released by artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) activity and to estimate its impact on the ecosystems of the bay, the distribution of mercury in the atmosphere, soil, water, and sediment around Mambulao Bay, Camarines Norte, Philippines, was investigated. The ASGM operations use mercury to extract gold from ore and are located on the east shore side of the bay. Samplings were conducted in August 2017 and September 2018. The samples were used for determination of total mercury (T-Hg) and organic mercury (org-Hg) concentrations, total organic carbon (TOC) content, and chemical composition. The atmospheric mercury concentration on the east shore side, 6.1-25.8 ng m-3, was significantly higher than the value of 1.4-9.9 ng m-3 observed on the west shore side. The average concentrations of T-Hg in the forest soils of the west shore side and those of the east shore side were 0.081 ± 0.028 mg kg-1 and 0.496 ± 0.439 mg kg-1, respectively. In the vertical distribution of T-Hg in the soil of the east shore side, a higher concentration was observed near the surface. For the vertical variations in T-Hg in the marine sediment, higher values were observed near the estuary, and the vertical variations in core samples showed an increase in mercury concentration toward the surface. The highest concentration of T-Hg in sediment, 9.5 mg kg-1, which was 2 orders of magnitude higher than the background levels of this area, was found near the river mouth. The T-Hg, org-Hg, and TOC levels showed a positive correlation, suggesting that the rivers are the main sources of T-Hg and org-Hg in the bay. Although the fish sample containing a mercury content higher than the regulatory level for fish and shellfish of 0.4 mg kg-1 in Japan was only one of 42 samples, the percentage of org-Hg in fish samples was 91 ± 18%. Mercury released into the surroundings by the ASGM activities can be converted into methylmercury and affect the bay's ecosystem.

Effects of forest fires on mercury accumulation in soil at the artisanal small-scale gold mining.

In response to the Minamata Convention on Mercury, international organizations, governments, nonprofit organizations, and other institutions as well as individuals have worked to promote the development and implementation of safe and environmentally healthy practices, processes, and products. It is expected that the accumulation of mercury in the natural environment will decrease in volume each year. However, even after Hg ceases to be used, the Hg already accumulated in forests will continue to pose an ecological risk. Forest fires are serious events, partly because they release accumulated Hg from the environment. In this study, the effects of forest fires on the accumulation and chemical species of Hg in soil, related to the mobilization of Hg, were investigated. The research was conducted in secondary forests located near artisanal small-scale gold mining sites, where Hg is used for the amalgamation of gold in Camarines Norte, Philippines. The results showed that the original Hg accumulation level in the burned forest was not as high as that in the control forest, and that burn severity might have affected only the surface soil (0-5 cm). However, the proportion of water-soluble Hg, which was derived from ash, was increased by fire. Therefore, it is suggested that forest fires not only increase the release of Hg into the atmosphere but also increase the outflow risk to the aquatic system through rainfall.