Bioaccumulation of Mercury by Sphagnum Moss Near a Municipal Solid Waste Incinerator

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Abstract
Sphagnum moss (Sphagnum spp.) and Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) were used as biological monitors of atmospheric mercury around a municipal solid waste incinerator in rural New Jersey. Moss and grass samples were exposed according to standardized techniques at sixteen sites within 5 km of the incinerator. One remote site was monitored to establish background field accumulation. Duplicate and control monitors were used for quality assurance. In all cases, mercury concentrations in moss exceeded those in grass. Mercury accumulation by moss exhibited a spatial pattern consistent with a local source of pollution, considering wind and precipitation. Total mercury in moss exposed at sites within 1.7 km of the incinerator averaged 206 ppb while samples exposed at greater distances from the facility averaged 126 ppb.

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