Laogang landfill near Shanghai is the largest landfill in China, and receives about 10000 t of daily garbage per day, Samples of topsoil and plants were analyzed to evaluate mercury pollution from the landfill. For topsoil samples, there were significant correlations among total mercury （HgT）, combinative mercury （Hgc） and gaseous mercury （HgG）, and content of total organic carbon （TOC）, but, no significantly relationship was found between Hg content and filling time. Hg content changes in vertical profiles with time showed that the average Hgv of profiles 1992, 1996, and 2000 was similar, but their average HgG was quite different. HgT was significantly correlated with Hgc in profile 1992 and 2000, and Hgv was significantly correlated with Hg6 in profile 1996. HgG/Hgv ratio in profile samples decreased in the order of （HgG,/HgT）1992〉（HgG/HgT）1996〉〉（HgG/HgT）2000. A simple outline of Hg release in landfill could be drawn： with increasing of filling time, degradation undergoes different biodegradation, accordingly, gaseous mercury goes through small, more, and small proportion to total mercury. Distribution of Hg in plants was inhomogeneous, following the order of leaf〉root〉stem. The highest value of leaf may be associated with higher atmospheric Hg from landfill. Ligneous plants （e.g. Phyllostachys glanca, Prunus salicina and Ligustrum lucidum） are capable of enriching more Hg than herbaceous plants.
Estuaries are important sites for mercury （Hg） methylation, with sulfate-reducing bacteria （SRB） thought to be the main Hg methylators. Distributions of total mercury （THg） and methylmercury （MeHg） in mangrove sediment and sediment core from Jiulong River Estuary Provincial Mangrove Reserve, China were determined and the possible mechanisms of Hg methylation and their controlling factors in mangrove sediments were investigated. Microbiological and geochemical parameters were also determined. Results showed that SRB constitute a small fraction of total bacteria （TB） in both surface sediments and the profile of sediments. The content of THg, MeHg, TB, and SRB were （350 ± 150） ng/g, （0.47 ± 0.11） ng/g, （1.4× 10^011 ± 4.1 × 10^9） cfu/g dry weight （dw）, and （5.0× 10^6 d： 2.7 × 10^6） cfu/g dw in surficial sediments, respectively, and （240 ± 24） ng/g, （0.30 ± 0.15） ng/g, （1.9 × 10^11 ± 4.2 × 10^9） cfu/g dw, and （1.3 × 10^6 ± 2.0 × 10^6） cfu/g dw in sediment core, respectively. Results showed that THg, MeHg, TB, MeHg/THg, salinity and total sulfur （TS） increased with depth, but total organic matter （TOM）, SRB, and pH decreased with depth. Concentrations of MeHg in sediments showed significant positive correlation with THg, salinity, TS, and MeHg/THg, and significant negative correlation with SRB, TOM, and pH. It was concluded that other microbes, rather than SRB, may also act as main Hg methylators in mangrove sediments.
In order to investigate distributions of heavy metal pollution in Quanzhou Bay wetland, the total concentration and chemical partitioning of a number of heavy metals （Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, Cr, Hg） in sediments of three sampling sites of Quanzhou Bay wetland and their availability to Suaeda australis were analyzed. The Geoaccumulation Index （Igeo） values reveal that the sediments of three sampling sites may all be considered as moderately contaminated for Pb and Zn, and all sediments might be strongly contaminated with cadmium. The partitioning analyses revealed the measured heavy metals in three sites are bound to the exchangeable fraction at lower concentrations. The measured metals in a considerable amount are bound to the reducible and oxidizable fractions, and a high proportion of the measured heavy metals were distributed in the residual fraction in the sediment samples. The concentrations of Cd in each chemical phase extracted from the sediments are above natural global background levels and should be further investigated because of its toxicity. Suaeda australis has different accumulation abilities for the measured heavy metals. For the root and stem, the bioaccumulation ability assessed by bioaccumulation factor （BAF） for the measured heavy metals follows the decreasing order as： Cu〉Cr〉 Zn〉Cd, Pb, Hg. In the leaf, stronger bioaccumulation ability for Hg is exhibited. The heavy metal concentrations in Suaeda australis roots have positive correlations with their available fractions, while the exchangeable fraction of Cu and Cd might have be more important to both mature plant roots and seedling roots uptake than other fractions; as for Cr, the oxidizable fraction might make a greater contribution to the plant root uptake; as for Zn, the reducible fraction might make so contribution ; and for Pb, the oxidizable fraction might make a significant contribution to the mature plant root uptake, however, the exchangeable fraction might have a significant contribution to the seedling root uptake.
LI Yu-hongYAN Chong-lingYUAN Jian-junLIU Jing-chunCHEN Huai-yuHU Jun
