Distribution and sources of mercury in soils from former industrialized urban areas of Beijing, China.

BEIJING (China); CHINA

Fifty-seven typical surface soils and 108 deeper soils were collected from five former industrial sites in Beijing and concentrations of total Hg (ΣHg) as well as pH, total carbon (TC), total nitrogen (TN), total sulfur, and dissolved organic carbon concentrations determined. The mean concentration of ΣHg in surface soils was significantly greater than background concentrations in the vicinity of Beijing. Forty-eight percent of the samples exceeded the “critical” concentration of 1.0 mg Hg/kg, dry weight in soils, which has been established by the Chinese government. At depths of 0–80 cm in the soil, profile concentrations of ΣHg also exceeded the background value. There were significant correlations between concentrations of ΣHg, TC, and TN in the industrial soils. The greater concentration of ΣHg in most soils could have been due in part to combustion of coal and leakage from industrial processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]