Abstract
This study aimed at determining the levels of total mercury in water samples collected in the vicinity of the Lake-reservoir Balkyldak in Pavlodar, Kazakhstan. Legacy of the chloralkali process in Pavlodar which involved the mercury cell method while producing a chlorine-free sodium hydroxide leads to serious environmental problems. At the time of the unit continuous operation in between 1971-1993 approximately 1000 metric tons of metallic mercury has been released into the wastewater holding pond at the chemical plant. For many years, mercury collected in the wastewater pond was a subject of the Kazakhstan sharply continental climate fluctuation and overflow to the Balkyldak Lake-reservoir, creating a significant mercury contamination issue for the whole region. Mercury emitted from industrial eluents in environment carries predominantly anthropogenic pollutants. Due to its natural cycle through atmosphere, water and soil in different forms prompts the widespread global mercury pollution. In present investigation, samples collected in a close proximity of the Balkyldak Lake were analyzed in respect to the geological location of collection.
Highlights
The USSR heritage in terms of industrial activity, environmental pollution with waste of chloralkali plant inputs into the Pavlodar region has disturbed the equilibrium of its ecosystem
Basing of the commenced analysis, the average Hg concentration in water samples of Pavlodar region is evaluated as ≈30 ppb, which is almost fifteen times higher than maximum contaminant level goal (MCLG) [10]
In the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations formulated by US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), MCLG for mercury in drinking water is set at 2 ppb [10]
Summary
The USSR heritage in terms of industrial activity, environmental pollution with waste of chloralkali plant inputs into the Pavlodar region has disturbed the equilibrium of its ecosystem. The chloralkili plant was on operation for 18 years and estimated mercury losses are in order of 1000 metric tons of Hg [1]. According to authors [2] more than 700 metric tons of metallic Hg is speed through the soil below the plant and significant amount of mercury entered the Lake-reservoir Balkyldak [3]. Mercury as a global and highly mobile pollutant affects ecosystem[4] and human health[5]. Considering the amount of mercury released in to the environment and the fact that the last field research was conducted ten years ago the primary objective of this study was to monitor the Hg concentration in aqueous samples collected in close proximity from ex-chloralkali plant
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