MERCURY POLLUTION OF EFFLUENT, AIR, AND SOIL NEAR A BATTERY FACTORY IN TANZANIA

Effluent, air, and soil samples near a battery factory in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where HgCl//2 is used to prevent mold growth, were collected to explore the potential for pollution of the environment from industrial discharge of Hg. Flameless atomic absorption spectrophotometry was used for Hg determinations. The concentration of Hg in the effluent ranged from less than 0. 2 to 5. 2 Mg L** minus **1 and the Hg concentration varied greatly within and among sampling days, showing different peaks. Air contained a mean of 4. 0 mu g m** minus **3 with little variation within and between sampling days. Soils near the factory contained high Hg levels, from 6. 7 to 472 mg kg** minus **1 in the immediate vicinity, the highest level being associated with disposal of solid waste (defective batteries). Downwind the concentration of Hg decreased with increasing distance from the factory resulting in a soil concentration of 1. 0 mg Hg kg** minus **1 about 2 km away. Upwind the Hg concentration decreased drastically within a distance of 100 to 200 m.