Relative Importance of Non-Point Sources of Mercury to an Industrialized Coastal System, Sepetiba Bay, SE Brazil

Estimation of Hg emissions to air, soil and water is the first step in the regional management and control of areas where Hg contamination is potentially significant and no clear point source of this metal exists, such as in diversified industrial parks. Sepetiba Bay basin, SE Brazil, is an example of such a situation. Over 400 industries, from oil-fired power plants to steel and non-ferrous metal manufacturing to plastics and chemicals, have been installed in the region since the late 196os. Important point sources of metals such as Cd, Zn and Pb have been identified and controlled during the past decade; no significant point source of Hg, however, has been identified in the area. Notwithstanding, Hg is a ubiquitous byproduct of many industries and is also frequently present in urban and domestic wastes (Barcellos and Lacerda 1994; Marins et al. 1996).