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Veröffentlichung Survey of mercury, cadmium and lead content of household batteries(2014) Recknagel, Sebastian; Radant, Hendrik; Kohlmeyer, ReginaThe objective of this work was to provide updated information on the development of the potentialimpact of heavy metal containing batteries on municipal waste and battery recycling processes followingtransposition of the new EU Batteries Directive 2006/66/EC. A representative sample of 146 differenttypes of commercially available dry and button cells as well as lithium-ion accumulators for mobilephones were analysed for their mercury (Hg)-, cadmium (Cd)- and lead (Pb)-contents. The methods usedfor preparing the cells and analysing the heavy metals Hg, Cd, and Pb were either developed during a formerstudy or newly developed. Several batteries contained higher mass fractions of mercury or cadmiumthan the EU limits. Only half of the batteries with mercury and/or lead fractions above the markingthresholds were labelled. Alkaline-manganese mono-cells and Li-ion accumulators, on average, containedthe lowest heavy metal concentrations, while zinc-carbon batteries, on average, contained thehighest levels.Quelle: Waste Management 34 (2014) 156-161Veröffentlichung Hair mercury and urinary cadmium levels in Belgian children and their mothers within the framework of the COPHES/DEMOCOPHES projects(2014)A harmonized human biomonitoring pilot study was set up within the frame of the European projects DEMOCOPHES and COPHES. In 17 European countries, biomarkers of some environmental pollutants, including urinary cadmium and hair mercury, were measured in children and their mothers in order to obtain European-wide comparison values on these chemicals. The Belgian participant population consisted in 129 school children (6-11 years) and their mothers (= 45 years) living in urban or rural areas of Belgium.The geometric mean levels for mercury in hair were 0.383 ìg/g and 0.204 ìg/g for respectively mothers and children. Cadmium in mother's and children's urine was detected at a geometric mean concentration of respectively 0.21 and 0.04 ìg/l. For both biomarkers, levels measured in the mothers and their child were correlated. While the urinary cadmium levels increased with age, no trend was found for hair mercury content, except the fact that mothers hold higher levels than children. The hair mercury content increased significantly with the number of dental amalgam fillings, explaining partially the higher levels in the mothers by their higher presence rate of these amalgams compared to children. Fish or seafood consumption was the other main parameter determining the mercury levels in hair. No relationship was found between smoking status and cadmium or mercury levels, but the studied population included very few smokers. Urinary cadmium levels were higher in both mothers and children living in urban areas, while for mercury this difference was only significant for children. Our small population showed urinary cadmium and hair mercury levels lower than the health based guidelines suggested by the WHO or the JECFA (Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives). Only 1% had cadmium level slightly higher than the German HBM-I value (1 ìg/l for adults), and 9% exceeded the 1 ìg mercury/g hair suggested by the US EPA.
Quelle: http://www.sciencedirect.com/Veröffentlichung Transport of perfluoroalkyl acids in a water-saturated sediment(2014) Klitzke, Sondra; Möller, Axel; Vierke, LenaThe objective of this work was to provide updated information on the development of the potentialimpact of heavy metal containing batteries on municipal waste and battery recycling processes followingtransposition of the new EU Batteries Directive 2006/66/EC. A representative sample of 146 differenttypes of commercially available dry and button cells as well as lithium-ion accumulators for mobilephones were analysed for their mercury (Hg)-, cadmium (Cd)- and lead (Pb)-contents. The methods usedfor preparing the cells and analysing the heavy metals Hg, Cd, and Pb were either developed during a formerstudy or newly developed. Several batteries contained higher mass fractions of mercury or cadmiumthan the EU limits. Only half of the batteries with mercury and/or lead fractions above the markingthresholds were labelled. Alkaline-manganese mono-cells and Li-ion accumulators, on average, containedthe lowest heavy metal concentrations, while zinc-carbon batteries, on average, contained thehighest levels.
Quelle: ©2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reservedVeröffentlichung Mercury Exposure in Ireland: Results of the DEMOCOPHES Human Biomonitoring Study(2014)Background: Monitoring of human exposure to mercury is important due to its adverse health effects. This study aimed to determine the extent of mercury exposure among mothers and their children in Ireland, and to identify factors associated with elevated levels. It formed part of the Demonstration of a study to Coordinate and Perform Human Biomonitoring on a European Scale (DEMOCOPHES) pilot biomonitoring study. Methods: Hair mercury concentrations were determined from a convenience sample of 120 mother/child pairs. Mothers also completed a questionnaire. Rigorous quality assurance within DEMOCOPHES guaranteed the accuracy and international comparability of results. Results: Mercury was detected in 79.2% of the samples from mothers, and 62.5% of childrens samples. Arithmetic mean levels in mothers (0.262 Ţg/g hair) and children (0.149 Ţg /g hair) did not exceed the US EPA guidance value. Levels were significantly higher for those with higher education, and those who consumed more fish. Conclusions: The study demonstrates the benefit of human biomonitoring for assessing and comparing internal exposure levels, both on a population and an individual basis. It enables the potential harmful impact of mercury to be minimised in those highly exposed, and can therefore significantly contribute to population health. Quelle: http://www.mdpi.comVeröffentlichung The burden of chronic mercury intoxication in artisanal small-scale gold mining in Zimbabwe: data availability and preliminary estimates(2014)Background
Artisanal small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is a poverty-driven activity practiced in over 70 countries worldwide. Zimbabwe is amongst the top ten countries using large quantities of mercury to extract gold from ore. This analysis was performed to check data availability and derive a preliminary estimate of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) due to mercury use in ASGM in Zimbabwe.
Methods
Cases of chronic mercury intoxication were identified following an algorithm using mercury-related health effects and mercury in human specimens. The sample prevalence amongst miners and controls (surveyed by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization in 2004 and the University of Munich in 2006) was determined and extrapolated to the entire population of Zimbabwe. Further epidemiological and demographic data were taken from the literature and missing data modeled with DisMod II to quantify DALYs using the methods from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2004 update published by the World Health Organization (WHO). While there was no disability weight (DW) available indicating the relative disease severity of chronic mercury intoxication, the DW of a comparable disease was assigned by following the criteria 1) chronic condition, 2) triggered by a substance, and 3) causing similar health symptoms.
Results
Miners showed a sample prevalence of 72% while controls showed no cases of chronic mercury intoxication. Data availability is very limited why it was necessary to model data and make assumptions about the number of exposed population, the definition of chronic mercury intoxication, DW, and epidemiology. If these assumptions hold, the extrapolation would result in around 95,400 DALYs in Zimbabwe's total population in 2004.
Conclusions
This analysis provides a preliminary quantification of the mercury-related health burden from ASGM based on the limited data available. If the determined assumptions hold, chronic mercury intoxication is likely to have been one of the top 20 hazards for population health in Zimbabwe in 2004 when comparing with more than 130 categories of diseases and injuries quantified in the WHO's GBD 2004 update. Improving data quality would allow more accurate estimates. However, the results highlight the need to reduce a burden which could be entirely avoided.
Quelle: http://www.ehjournal.netVeröffentlichung Critical Loads of Cadmium, Lead and Mercury and Their Exceedances in Europe(2015)In this chapter information is summarized on the assessment of the risk of impacts of cadmium, lead and mercury emissions and related depositions of these metals, with an emphasis on natural areas in Europe. Depositions are compared to critical loads to identify areas in Europe where critical loads are exceeded. Critical loads of cadmium, lead and mercury were based on (i) computations by 18 Parties to the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP) and (ii) computations from available data on soil chemistry, meteorology and land cover for the other Parties. Two target years are considered, i.e. 2010 and 2020. Emissions for these years have been assessed in support of the negotiations for the review and possible revision of the Heavy metal protocol (Aarhus 1998). The relationship between emissions, depositions and critical load exceedances is analysed assuming the implementation of abatement techniques under Current LEgislation in 2010 (CLE2010) and in 2020 under Full Implementation of the Aarhus protocol (FI2020). Comparing the critical loads to atmospheric depositions in these years, shows that cadmium deposition is not a widespread risk in either years, that the computed risk of lead deposition affects about 22 and 16?% of natural European area in 2010 and 2020, respectively, and that mercury deposition is computed to affect an area of more than 74?% in both years.Quelle: http://link.springer.comVeröffentlichung Pilot study testing a European human biomonitoring framework for biomarkers of chemical exposure in children and their mothers: experiences in the UK(2015)Exposure to a number of environmental chemicals in UK mothers and children has been assessed as part of the European biomonitoring pilot study, Demonstration of a Study to Coordinate and Perform Human Biomonitoring on a European Scale (DEMOCOPHES). For the European-funded project, 17 countries tested the biomonitoring guidelines and protocols developed by COPHES. The results from the pilot study in the UK are presented; 21 school children aged 6-11 years old and their mothers provided hair samples to measure mercury and urine samples, to measure cadmium, cotinine and several phthalate metabolites: mono(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl)phthalate (5OH-MEHP), mono(2-ethyl-5-oxo-hexyl)phthalate (5oxo-MEHP) and mono(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (MEHP), mono-ethyl phthalate (MEP), mono-iso-butyl phthalate (MiBP), mono-benzyl phthalate (MBzP) and mono-n-butyl phthalate (MnBP). Questionnaire data was collected on environment, health and lifestyle. Mercury in hair was higher in children who reported frequent consumption of fish (geometric mean 0.35 ìg/g) compared to those that ate fish less frequently (0.13 ìg/g, p?=?0.002). Cadmium accumulates with age as demonstrated by higher levels of urinary cadmium in the mothers (geometric mean 0.24 ìg/L) than in the children(0.14 ìg/L). None of the mothers reported being regular smokers, and this was evident with extremely low levels of cotinine measured (maximum value 3.6 ìg/L in mothers, 2.4 ìg/L in children). Very low levels of the phthalate metabolites were also measured in both mothers and children (geometric means in mothers: 5OH-MEHP 8.6 ìg/L, 5oxo-MEHP 5.1 ìg/L, MEHP 1.2 ìg/L, MEP 26.8 ìg/L, MiBP 17.0 ìg/L, MBzP 1.6 ìg/L and MnBP 13.5 ìg/L; and in children: 5OH-MEHP 18.4 ìg/L, 5oxo-MEHP 11.4 ìg/L, MEHP 1.4 ìg/L, MEP 14.3 ìg/L, MiBP 25.8 ìg/L, MBzP 3.5 ìg/L and MnBP 22.6 ìg/L). All measured biomarker levels were similarto or below population-based reference values published by the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and Germanys GerES surveys. No results were above available health guidance values and were of no concern with regards to health. The framework and techniques learnt here will assist with future work on biomonitoring in the UK. Quelle: http://link.springer.comVeröffentlichung Analysis of sources and sinks of mercury in the urban water cycle of Frankfurt am Main, Germany(2015) Fricke, Imke; Götz, Rolf; Püttmann, Wilhelm; Schleyer, RuprechtMercury (Hg) is still a focus of environmental research, since its levels in fish frequently exceed the Environmental Quality Standard (EQS) of 20 Ţg/kg for biota defined by the European Water Framework Directive (Directive 2008/105/EC). Current Hg levels in Abramis brama from German rivers are in the range of 73-346 Ţg/kg wet weight (2009) and exceed the EQS by a factor of 3.7-17.3. Therefore, it is important to identify the sources of Hg pollution in the aquatic environment and to develop effective strategies for reducing the input into associated river systems. The aim of the present study was to analyze Hg in the urban water cycle of the city of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Samples were taken from the river Main crosscutting the city and its tributaries. In addition, precipitation, stormwater runoff, effluents of two municipal WWTPs, and stormwater management structures such as combined sewer overflows and stormwater retention basins have been analyzed. Loads of Hg have been determined based on the measured concentrations and a Hg mass balance for the aquatic system was created. A total of 160 water samples were analyzed by cold vapor atomic fluorescence spectroscopy (CVAFS) according to US EPA Method 1631. Results from the mass balance have shown that approximately 5 kg Hg/a enter and 15 kg Hg/a leave the study area of Frankfurt am Main via the river Main. The largest amount of Hg (24.58 kg/a) throughout the urban water cycle of Frankfurt am Main is transported via wastewater. However, municipal WWTPs in Frankfurt am Main have been identified as the largest Hg sink, since 99.7% (24.5 kg/a) of the Hg is shifted from the sewage water and stormwater during treatment into the sewage sludge. Thus, the increase of the Hg load in the river Main from 5 to 15 kg/a has to be attributed to other sources such as 3 industrial WWTPs, groundwater and non-treated stormwater runoff during heavy rain events.Quelle: http://www.mdpi.comVeröffentlichung Global burden of disease of mercury used in artisanal small-scale gold mining(2017) Steckling, Nadine; Plaß, Dietrich; Hornberg, Claudia; Ericson, Bret; Tobollik, Myriam