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Mercury Soil Pollution in Spain: A Review

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Book cover Environment, Energy and Climate Change I

Part of the book series: The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry ((HEC,volume 32))

Abstract

Spain has been the main mercury producer worldwide, with mines or mining districts scattered across its geography. In particular, two main areas show generally higher contents of this element in the soils, namely, Asturias (or the Cantabrian Zone in geological terms) and the Almadén area in the Southern Central Iberian Zone. In this review six different aspects are considered: (1) distribution of total concentrations, (2) mercury mobility and availability, (3) soil to plant transfer, (4) mercury transfer to animal biota, (5) soil to atmosphere transfer and (6) possibility of remediation for sites polluted by mercury. The conclusions drawn from the available results highlight significant differences in contents, mobility and transfer processes depending on the different types of mercury pollution and different climatic conditions. A general background level for Spanish soils can be established at 20 μg kg−1, but very different ranges can be found in different areas according to the volumetric importance of each source and depending on other local factors. Mercury mining appears to be the most important source of soil pollution, and studies on the possible mobility and transfer to other environmental compartments demonstrate the highest levels at which mercury affects the population living in the proximity of such sources.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Geología Aplicada, University of Castilla-La Mancha (Spain). E.I.M.I. Almadén, Pl. Manuel Meca 1, 13400, Almadén (Ciudad Real), Spain

    Pablo Higueras & José María Esbrí

  2. Spectroscopy Unit, Chemistry Division, Technology Department, Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT), Av. Complutense 40, E-28040, Madrid, Spain

    Rodolfo Fernández-Martínez & Isabel Rucandio

  3. Dep. Explotación y Prospección de Minas, University of Oviedo, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Minas, c/Independencia, 13, 33004, Oviedo, Spain

    Jorge Loredo, Almudena Ordóñez & Rodrigo Álvarez

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  1. Pablo Higueras
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  2. Rodolfo Fernández-Martínez
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  3. José María Esbrí
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  4. Isabel Rucandio
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  5. Jorge Loredo
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  6. Almudena Ordóñez
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  7. Rodrigo Álvarez
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Correspondence to Pablo Higueras .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physical Chemistry, University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM), Ciudad Real, Spain

    Elena Jiménez

  2. Department of Physical Chemistry, University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM), Ciudad Real, Spain

    Beatriz Cabañas

  3. CERTES-IUT, The University Paris-Est Créteil, Paris Créteil, France

    Gilles Lefebvre

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Higueras, P. et al. (2014). Mercury Soil Pollution in Spain: A Review. In: Jiménez, E., Cabañas, B., Lefebvre, G. (eds) Environment, Energy and Climate Change I. The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, vol 32. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/698_2014_280

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