Impacts of Selenium on the Biogeochemical Cycles of Mercury in Terrestrial Ecosystems in Mercury Mining Areas

203 Pages·2014·4.5 MB·English

by  Hua Zhang (auth.)

Springer Theses
Recognizing Outstanding Ph.D. Research
Hua Zhang
Impacts of Selenium
on the Biogeochemical
Cycles of Mercury in
Terrestrial Ecosystems
in Mercury Mining
Areas
Springer Theses
Recognizing Outstanding Ph.D. Research
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Hua Zhang
Impacts of Selenium
on the Biogeochemical
Cycles of Mercury
in Terrestrial Ecosystems
in Mercury Mining Areas
Doctoral Thesis accepted by
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
(former Graduate University of Chinese Academy
of Sciences), Beijing, China
123
Author Supervisors
Dr. HuaZhang Prof.Dr. XinbinFeng
Instituteof Geochemistry Instituteof Geochemistry
ChineseAcademy ofSciences ChineseAcademy ofSciences
Guiyang Guiyang
People’s Republic of China People’s Republic ofChina
and Prof.Dr. ThorjørnLarssen
Norwegian InstituteforWater
Norwegian InstituteforWater Research (NIVA)
Research (NIVA) Universityof Oslo
Oslo Oslo
Norway Norway
ISSN 2190-5053 ISSN 2190-5061 (electronic)
ISBN 978-3-642-54918-2 ISBN 978-3-642-54919-9 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-54919-9
Springer Heidelberg NewYork Dordrecht London
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2014936202
(cid:2)Springer-VerlagBerlinHeidelberg2014
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Parts of this thesis have been published in the following articles:
1. Zhang H, Feng XB, Chan HM, Larssen T (2014) New Insights into
Traditional Health Risk Assessments of Mercury Exposure: Implications of
Selenium. Environmental Science & Technology. 48 (2): 1206–1212. DOI:
10.1021/es4051082 (Reproduced with Permission)
2. ZhangH,FengX,JiangC,LiQ,LiuY,GuC,ShangL,LiP,LinY,Larssen
T (2014) Understanding the paradox of selenium contamination in mercury
miningareas: high soilcontent andlowaccumulationinrice. Environmental
Pollution. 188:27–36. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2014.01.012
(Reproduced with Permission)
3. Zhang H, Feng X, Larssen T (2014) Selenium speciation, distribution, and
transport in a river catchment affected by mercury mining and smelting in
Wanshan,China.AppliedGeochemistry.40:1–10.DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.
1016/j.apgeochem.2013.10.016 (Reproduced with Permission)
4. Zhang H, Feng X, Wang Z, Larssen T (2013) Advances in research on the
mechanisms of selenium-mercury interactions (In Chinese with English
Abstract). Earth and Environment. 41(6): 696–708. (Reproduced with
Permission)
5. ZhangH,FengXB,LarssenT(2013)Interactionofseleniumandmercuryin
soil-plant system in mercury mining areas and their combined exposure and
risk. In: Selenium in the Environment and Human Health. CRC Press.
p201–202. DOI: 10.1201/b15960-89. (Reproduced with Permission)
6. Zhang H, Feng X, Zhu J, Sapkota A, Meng B, Yao H, Qin H, Larssen T
(2012) Selenium in Soil Inhibits Mercury Uptake and Translocation in Rice
(Oryza sativa L.). Environmental Science & Technology. 46: 10040–10046.
DOI: 10.1021/es302245r (Reproduced with Permission)
7. Zhang H, Feng XB, Larssen T, Shang LH, Vogt RD, Rothenberg SE, Li P,
ZhangH,LinY(2010)Fractionation,distributionandtransportofmercuryin
rivers and tributaries around Wanshan Hg mining district, Guizhou province,
southwestern China: Part 1-Total mercury. Applied Geochemistry. 25(5):
633–641. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeochem.2010.01.006 (Repro-
duced with Permission)
8. Zhang H, Feng XB, Larssen T, Shang LH, Vogt RD, Lin Y, Li P, Zhang H
(2010) Fractionation, distribution and transport of mercury in rivers and
tributaries around Wanshan Hg mining district, Guizhou Province, South-
western China: Part 2-Methylmercury. Applied Geochemistry. 25(5):
642–649. DOI :http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeochem.2010.01.005 (Repro-
duced with Permission)
9. Zhang H, Feng X, Larssen T, Shang L, Li P (2010) Bioaccumulation of
Methylmercury versus Inorganic Mercury in Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Grain.
Environmental Science & Technology. 44(12): 4499–4504. DOI: 10.1021/
es903565t (Reproduced with Permission)
10. ZhangH,FengX,Larssen T,QiuG,VogtRD(2010)InInlandChina,Rice,
Rather than Fish, Is the Major Pathway for Methylmercury Exposure. Envi-
ronmental Health Perspectives. 118(9): 1183–1188. DOI: 10.1289/ehp.
1001915 (Reproduced with Permission)
To Xiao K. and Zihan for making
my days bright
Supervisors’ Foreword
Mercury pollution is one of the major environmental challenges of our time.
Severe mercury pollution incidents have sadly illustrated the extreme toxicity of
mercury, especially in its organic form methylmercury. Fortunately, mercury
pollution, including mercury contaminated sites, is now on the political agenda
worldwide,andanewinternationalconventionhasjustbeenagreedbythenations
of the World.
Animportantaspectofunderstandingthepotentialriskassociatedwithmercury
pollutionatcontaminatedsites(andelsewhere)istheinteractionbetweenmercury
and selenium. Existing knowledge indicates that the involvement of selenium
in the environment can influence and restrict the migration, biogeochemical
exposure, bioavailability, toxicological consequences, and remediation of
mercury. Therefore, measuring only the amount of mercury present in the
environment or food may provide an inadequate reflection of the potential for
environmental ecosystems and associated human exposure and risks if the
protectiveeffectsofSearenotalsoconsidered.Sofar,mostresearchonselenium
interaction with mercury have been limited to aquatic ecosystems due to the
importance of fish as main source of mercury at most places. The importance
ofseleniumformercuryuptakeinplantshasbeenlessstudied.Uptakeofmercury
and the interaction with selenium in rice is of particular concern since
methylmercury may be produced in rice fields and rice plants may take up
methylmercury.
Rice paddy ecosystem is a very special land use type in the terrestrial
agroecosystem. It is inextricably linked with the aquatic ecosystem due to irri-
gationpurposeanditsownuniquepropertiessuchasenhancedmicrobialactivity,
strong reductive capacity, and anaerobic environment under long-term water-
logged state, all of which have significant effects on the fate and behavior of
mercury and selenium in the environment. In Asian countries, especially agri-
culturalcountriesorregionswherericecultivationoccupiesanimportantposition
in farming activities that produce a significant percentage of the global rice crops
and where rice is a staple food, the significance and importance of local paddy
soils’environment qualityonthefoodsafety,ecologicalsecurity,andsocialrisks
are self-evident.China is notonly oneofsuch major rice-producingcountries but
also the biggest producer, user, and emission of mercury over the world.
ix
x Supervisors’Foreword
Therefore,mercurycontaminationstothefarmlandecosystemsinmercurymining
areareceivedspecial attentionfromboth thescientificcommunityandthepublic.
Selenium is an important co-existing elemental component of the mineral
matrix of mercury ore deposits in many mercury mining areas. During the long-
term historic mercury mining and retorting activities, large quantities of selenium
have released with mercury into the surrounding environmental matrix. The
occurring of selenium has potential influence and restriction on the cycles and
migrationofmercuryintheenvironment,whichcaneventuallyaffecttheexposure
and risks of mercury to the local residents. Unfortunately, most research on
mercuryinminingareasoftenonlytookintoaccounttheimpactofmercurywhile
ignoring the role of selenium.
Hua is an active thinking and hard-working student who is full of innovative
ideas.WhenwesuggestedtheideatoinvestigateSeimpactonmercurycyclingat
Wanshanmercuryminingarea,hewasfascinatedabouttheidea.Heisparticularly
goodatdataminingandrefining,capableofprovidingnewinsightsandwillingto
challenge established ‘‘truths.’’ Under our supervision, he designed the research
plans, carried out extensive field work and experiments, completed data analysis
and published several high quality and widely influential papers in world-class
peer-reviewed journals in the field of geochemistry, public health, and environ-
mental science (included in this dissertation chapters). Important topics of these
papers were methylmercury bioaccumulation in rice plants, selenium-mercury
interaction in the soil-plant system, new pathways of human exposure to meth-
ylmercury,andjointriskassessmentofmercuryandselenium.Thesepapershave
been highly appraised for both academic and practical significance, and to some
extent promoted rice agriculture to be an emerging field for mercury research.
During his studies, Hua has systematically elucidated the fate and behavior of
selenium and mercury and their interactions in the river-soil-plant system, and
provided new insights into traditional recognition on biogeochemical cycle of
mercury in soil–plant interaction and associated human exposure and risk. The
contentinthisthesisisavaluableandtimelywork,withgreateffortsforfillingour
knowledgegapsnotonlyonselenium–mercuryinteractioninthesoil–plantsystem
butalsoonhowtoassessthecombinedbenefitsandriskofcoexposuretomercury
and selenium. The research conducted shed light on future aspects regarding
prevention, remediation, and risk management of environmental mercury
contamination.
Guiyang, People’s Republic of China October 2013 Xinbin Feng
Oslo, Norway, October 2013 Thorjørn Larssen