Accumulation and distribution of mercury in Dutch soils.

Abstract

The eleven soils investigated were placed in the following groups: (1) foreland soils from the river Rhine with Hg contents ranging from 10.43 to 0.10 ppm, corresponding to a decreasing clay content from 40% to 2%, with increasing distance from the sea; (2) soils used for bulb culture, which had been treated with Hg fungicides and showed a Hg content of about 0.15 ppm in the top 20 cm; (3) soils used as permanent pastures for over 20 years which, despite widely differing soil characteristics show, with one exception, the same Hg content (about 0.09 ppm) in the top 20 cm; these soils were chosen as references. It appears that organic Mg-containing fungicides when added to soils are slowly transformed to metallic Hg, which escapes from the soil mainly by evaporation.[116.49]. (Abstract retrieved from CAB Abstracts by CABI’s permission)