Mercury in the bottom sediments of the lower Vistula river ecosystem, Poland - A role of the anthropogenic factor

Total mercury concentrations were determined in surface layer of sediments collected in 1998-2001 from several locations along the Lower Vistula River, Poland. The wet digestion (HNO$_3$-H$_2$SO$_4$) method used for sample preparation was both repeatable and quantitative and allowed mercury determination by cold vapour atomic absorption spectrometry (CV-AAS). The sediment samples collected from sites located very close to, or within, the urbanized and industrialized areas showed elevated mercury concentrations, reaching up to 370 ng/g dry weight on the average. Geochemical index (I$_{\rm geo}$) approach was used to compare “post-industrial” mercury concentration in sediments with natural (“pre-industrial”) sediment mercury background