HR: 0800h
AN: B11B-0404 [WITHDRAWN]    [Abstracts]
TI: Methyl Mercury Production In Tropical Hydromorphic Soils: Impact Of Gold Mining.
AU: * Guedron, S
EM: stephane.guedron@obs.ujf-grenoble.fr
AF: Environmental Geochemistry Group LGIT, Observatory of Earth and Planetary Sciences (OSUG), University of Grenoble-I/CNRS – BP53, Grenoble, 38041, France
AU: Charlet, L
EM: laurent.charlet@obs.ujf-grenoble.fr
AF: Environmental Geochemistry Group LGIT, Observatory of Earth and Planetary Sciences (OSUG), University of Grenoble-I/CNRS – BP53, Grenoble, 38041, France
AU: Harris, J
EM: harris@univ-paris12.fr
AF: LBSE (laboratoire de Biologie des Sols et des Eaux), UMR 137 BIOSOL,Université Paris 12- Val de Marne, 61 avenue du Général de Gaulle, Créteil, 94000, France
AU: Grimaldi, M
EM: Michel.Grimaldi@bondy.ird.fr
AF: IRD (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement), UMR137, IRD-UPMC-UP12, Biodiversité et fonctionnement du sol, IRD, 32, avenue Henri Varagna, Bondy, 93143, France
AU: Cossa, D
EM: daniel.cossa@ifremer.fr
AF: IFREMER (Institut Français de recherche pour l'exploitation de la mer), Centre de Nantes, BP 21105 cedex 03, Nantes, F.44311, France
AB: Artisanal alluvial gold mining is important in many tropical developing countries and several million people are involved worldwide. The dominant use of mercury for gold amalgamation in this activity leads to mercury accumulation in soils, to sediment contamination and to methyl mercury (MMHg) bioaccumulation along the food chain. In this presentation we will present recent data on methyl mercury production in hydromorphic soils and tailing ponds from a former gold mining area located in French Guiana (South America). Comparison of specific fluxes between a pristine sub watershed and the contaminated watershed shows that former mining activities lead to a large enhancement of dissolved and particulate MMHg emissions at least by a factor of 4 and 6, respectively. MMHg production was identified in sediments from tailing ponds and in surrounding hydromorphic soils. Moreover, interstitial soil water and tailing pond water profiles sampled in an experimental tailing pond demonstrate the presence of a large MMHg production in the suboxic areas. Both tailing ponds and hydromorphic soils present geochemical conditions that are favorable to bacterial mercury methylation (high soil Hg content, high aqueous ferric iron and dissolved organic carbon concentrations). Although sulfate-reducing bacteria have been described as being the principal mercury methylating bacteria, the positive correlation between dissolved MMHg and ferrous iron concentrations argue for a significant role of iron-reducing bacteria. Identifications by sequencing fragments of 16S rRNA from total soil DNA support these interpretations. This study demonstrates that current and past artisanal gold mining in the tropics lead to methyl mercury production in contaminated areas. As artisanal activities are increasing with increasing gold prices, the bio- magnification of methyl mercury in fish presents an increasing threat to local populations whose diet relies on fish consumption.
DE: 0400 BIOGEOSCIENCES
SC: Biogeosciences [B]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting