United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Air
EPA-452/R-97-008
December 1997
Mercury Study
Report to Congress
c7o032-1-1
Office of Air Quality Planning & Standards
and
Office of Research and Development
Volume VI:
An Ecological Assessment for
Anthropogenic Mercury
Emissions in the United States
www.vancls.info
MERCURY STUDY REPORT TO CONGRESS
VOLUME VI:
AN ECOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT FOR ANTHROPOGENIC
MERCURY EMISSIONS IN THE UNITED STATES
December 1997
Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards
and
Office of Research and Development
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
www.vancls.info
i
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
U.S. EPA AUTHORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
SCIENTIFIC PEER REVIEWERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
WORK GROUP AND U.S. EPA/ORD REVIEWERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii
LIST OF TABLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
LIST OF FIGURES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x
LIST OF SYMBOLS, UNITS AND ACRONYMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ES-1
1.
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
2.
PROBLEM FORMULATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
2.1
Stressor Characteristics: Mercury Speciation and Cycling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
2.1.1 Mercury in Air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .