Grangeon S. auteur aut IRD Guédron Stéphane auteur aut IRD Asta J. auteur aut IRD Sarret G. auteur aut IRD Charlet L. auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf born digital access Atmospheric mercury (Hg) deposition around a mercury cell chlor-alkali plant located near Grenoble, south-east France, was assessed using Hg concentrations in lichens and soils. Hg content in the epiphytic Xanthoria parietina lichen ranged from similar to 0.07 to similar to 2.51 mu g g(-1), and concentrations decreased with increasing distance to the plant, with a contamination radius of similar to 2 km. Soil Hg concentration profiles were consistent with an atmospheric origin, with higher concentrations in the upper part of the profiles. Concentration of Hg in lichens and top soils (0-10 cm depth) as a function of the distance to the chlor-alkali plant exhibited highly similar variations. Using a simple first-order deposition model, mean Hg fallouts for the whole history of chlor-alkali plant are estimated to similar to 36g Hg day(-1) in this area, compatible with values reported for reactive gaseous mercury (RGM) emissions of similar industrial plants. Using literature data on RGM to total Hg emission ratio, we estimate that the plant emitted similar to 650 kg Hg year(-1). Two kilometres away from the plant, Hg content in top soils falls to values of (0.13 +/- 0.07) mu g g(-1) Hg, which is the local anthropogenic geochemical background level, but higher than unperturbed geochemical background found at the bottom of soil profiles (below 40 cm depth) estimated to (0.04 +/- 0.01) mu g g(-1) Hg. The present study evidences that lichens are a pertinent proxy for soil Hg contamination around chlor-alkali plants. They are attractive bioinonitoring tools since sampling and preparations protocols for lichens are less time consuming than those used for soils. specialized Mercury Soils Lichens Xanthoria parietina Chlor-alkali France FRANCE 068 082 076 13 1 178-183 2012 1470-160X https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010054268 10.1016/j.ecolind.2011.05.024 1470-160X [F B010054268] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010054268 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/intranet/publi/2012/01/010054268.pdf Accès réservé (Intranet de l'IRD) IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2012-02-01 2017-08-23 fdi:010054268 fre