Mercury levels in lichens from different host trees around a chlor-alkali plant in New Brunswick, Canada

Abstract

Mercury concentrations were determined in the epiphytic lichen Hypogymnia physodes along five transects starting from a chlor-alkali plant located at Dalhousie, New Brunswick, a landfill site and a nearby electricity generating station. Lichen samples were collected from white birch ( Betula papyrifera) and spruce ( Picea sp.) or balsam fir ( Abies balsamea). Average lichen background mercury values were 0.088±0.005 μg/g from white birch and 0.148±0.046 μg/g from spruce trees, with a detection limit of 0.05 μg/g. The chlor-alkali plant and a power plant were identified, respectively, as a major source and a minor source of elevated mercury levels in lichens. At 125 m north-west of the New Brunswick Power plant, 0.28 μg/g Hg were found in Hypogymnia physodes from spruce trees, while at 250 m west (downwind) of the chlor-alkali plant, 3.66 μg/g of mercury were determined. High values, 0.98 μg/g in lichens from spruce trees and 0.79 μg/g in lichen samples from white birch were also measured at 125 m south of the chlor-alkali plant and decreased exponentially with distance. The sphere of influence of the chlor-alkali plant with respect to mercury deposition was estimated to extend 2.4–3.4 km from the plant. The mercury concentrations in Hypogymnia physodes collected from white birch were significantly lower than the concentrations in the same lichen from spruce trees in areas with elevated levels of mercury, but not in areas with low mercury levels. The magnitude of this difference dropped with distance from the source.