Mercury emissions to the atmosphere from natural and anthropogenic sourcesin the Mediterranean region

This report discusses past, current and projected mercury emissions to the atmosphere from major industrial sources, and presents a first assessment o f the contribution to the regional mercury budget from selected natural sou rces. Emissions (1995 estimates) from fossil fuels combustion (29.8 t yr(-1 )), cement production (28.8 t yr(-1)) and incineration of solid wastes (27. 6 t yr(-1)), all together account for about 82% of the regional anthropogen ic total (105.7 t yr(-1)). Other industrial sources in the region are smelt ers (4.8 t yr(-1)), iron-steel plants (4.8 t yr(-1)) and other minor source s (chlor-alkali plants, crematoria, chemicals production) that have been co nsidered together in the miscellaneous category (9.6 t yr(-1)). Regional em issions from anthropogenic sources increased at a rate of 3% yr(-1) from 19 83 to 1995 and are projected to increase at a rate of 1.9% yr(-1) in the ne xt 25 years, if no improvement in emission control policy occurs. On a coun try-by-country basis, France is the leading emitter country with 22.6 t yr( -1) followed by Turkey (16.1 t yr(-1)), Italy (11.4 t yr(-1)), Spain (9.1 t yr(-1)), the former Yugoslavia 7.9 (t yr(-1)), Morocco (6.9 t yr(-1)), Bul garia (6.8 t yr(-1)), Egypt (6.1 t yr(-1)), Syria (3.6 t yr(-1)), Libya (2. 9 t yr(-1)), Tunisia (2.8 t yr(-1)) and Greece (2.7 t yr(-1)), whereas the remaining countries account for less than 7% of the regional total. The ann ual emission from natural sources is 1 10 t yr(-1), although this figure on ly includes the volatilisation of elemental mercury from surface waters and emissions from volcanoes, whereas the contribution due to the degassing of mercury from top soil and vegetation has not been included in this first a ssessment. Therefore, natural and anthropogenic sources in the Mediterranea n region release annually about 215 t of mercury, which represents a signif icant contribution to the total mercury budget released in Europe and to th e global atmosphere. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.