Gaseous Elemental Mercury as an Indoor Air Pollutant

Abstract

Mercury is not commonly considered a household air pollutant; however, a number of potential sources of the metal exist in residential settings. Eleven of 12 indoor sites sampled in this study showed levels of airborne mercury that were significantly elevated over outdoor concentrations (range 6.5-523 ng m(-3)). In addition, this and other published research suggest that up to 10% of households may have levels of airborne mercury above the U.S. EPA reference concentration (300 ng m(-3)) due to historic accidents with mercury containing devices. Exposure to mercury via indoor air is seen as second only to fish consumption as a source of mercury in the general population. Large seasonal changes in indoor mercury levels were identified in this study suggesting that short-term monitoring of mercury-contaminated sites is not sufficient to adequately assess the potential health risks and effectiveness of remediation strategies.