1. The Island of Chios (east Mediterranean), Citrus Plantations and the Mercury Nightmare.
- Author
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Christodoulakis, N., Roulia, M., and Psatha, K.
- Subjects
MERCURY ,CINNABAR ,CITRUS fruits ,FRUIT development ,WATER in agriculture ,WATER levels ,SALTWATER encroachment ,X-ray microanalysis - Abstract
This article discusses the levels of mercury in citrus trees grown on Chios Island in Greece. According to the authors, the substrate is composed of cinnabar with high mercury content. When intensive agricultural irrigation pumps down the water table, seawater incursions cause dissolution of cinnabar and mobilization of mercury. The mercury analysis was performed using Energy Dispersive X-ray Microanalysis (EDX) on the fruit tissue (pericarp and the juicy mesocarp). The results indicated that mercury is literally absent (negative values), as the analysis printouts presented. They found that that mercury is practically absent from the tissue of lemons, tangerines and oranges. They concluded that mercury is not bioaccumulated in the fruit and consumption by humans can be considered safe.
- Published
- 2007
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