Mercury in air in an area impacted by strong industrial activities Original Research Article

The concentrations of total gaseous mercury (TGM) and its relevant environmental parameters were measured at a highly industrialized area in the Ban Wall industrial complex (BWIC) in An San city, Korea from March to May 2005. The mean concentrations of Hg measured during the entire study period were computed to be 6.32 ± 8.56 ng m−3 (range of 2.32–181 ng m−3; N = 1160). Due to the effects of strong man-made activities, the significantly high Hg concentration levels (e.g., at or above 10 ng m−3) comprised about 7.5% of all data with the mean of 21.8 ± 26.3 ng m−3 (N = 87). By separating the data into daytime and nighttime periods, the Hg values exhibited a notable daytime enhancement possibly due to strong man-made activities during working hours. The results of the correlation analysis indicated the possible relationship between the Hg concentration and the temperature as well as several pollutant species (e.g., NO2 and NOx). Evaluation of the Hg data in relation with the air mass transport pattern confirms that the Hg concentration levels in this industrial area are affected most eminently by local, rather than distant, pollution sources.