Abstract
The mercury levels in the air, aerosol, ash, lava and soil of Mount Etna, determined at the end of the intense eruptive phase of 13 September 1989, are reported. The concentration values of the metal proved to be comparable to the ones measured during a stationary phase of the volcano. >The contribution of the volcanic activity of Etna to the presence of mercury in the air in the Mediterranean basin was estimated at 20 tonnes per year.