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Total mercury contents of cicadae bodies, wings and exuviaes were studied in Huludao City to discuss mercury distribution characteristics in cicadae and to reveal the environmental mercury accumulation effects in the long life-cycle insects through comparing cicadae with other insect species. The average mercury contents of cicadae bodies were 2. 64 mg x kg(-1) and much higher than those in the contrast sites (1.00 mg x kg(-1) on average) in Huludao City. Mercury contents were found in the order of cicadae bodies > wings (0.98 mg x kg(-1) on average) > exuviaes (0.50 mg x kg(-1) on average). Sex differences of mercury contents and body weights of cicadae were significantly great. The females had larger body weights (1.11 g on average) and lower mercury contents (1.34 mg x kg(-1) on average) than the males (body weight: 0.54 g on average; mercury contents: 3.38 mg x kg(-1) on average), respectively. Mercury contents of cicada's bodies varied greatly with sample sites, mercury contents of wings changed little. No significant correlation was found between mercury contents of soil and cicadae bodies. Mercury contents of cicadae were lower than those of dragonflies, higher than those of other insects with shorter life-cycle periods and it reflected the accumulation effects of environmental mercury in the long life-cycle insects such as cicadae.

Stabilization/solidification (S/S) of mercury-containing solid wastes using thiol-functionalized zeolite and cement was investigated in this study. The thiol-functionalized zeolite (TFZ) used in the study was obtained by grafting the thiol group (-SH) to the natural clinoptilolite zeolites, and the mercury adsorption by TFZ was investigated. TFZ was used to stabilize mercury in solid wastes, and then the stabilized wastes were subjected to cement solidification to test the effectiveness of the whole S/S process. The results show that TFZ has a high level of -SH content (0.562 mmol g(-1)) and the adsorption of mercury by TFZ conform to the Freundlich adsorption isotherm. The mercury adsorption capacity is greatly enhanced upon thiol grafting, the maximum of which is increased from 0.041 mmol Hg g(-1) to 0.445 mmol Hg g(-1). TFZ is found to be effective in stabilizing Hg in the waste surrogate. In the stabilization process, the optimum pH for the stabilization reaction is about 5.0. The optimum TFZ dosage is about 5% and the optimum cement dosage is about 100%. Though Cl(-) and PO(4)(3-) have negative effects on mercury adsorption by TFZ, the Portland cement solidification of TFZ stabilized surrogates containing 1000 mg Hg/kg can successfully pass the TCLP leaching test. It can be concluded that the stabilization/solidification process using TFZ and Portland cement is an effective technology to treat and dispose mercury-containing wastes.

Mercury, cadmium, and lead concentrations of ashed plants and insects samples were investigated and compared with those of soil to reveal their biogeochemical processes along food chains in Huludao City, Liaoning Province, China. Concentration factors of each fragments of the soil-plant-the herbivorous insect-the carnivorous insect food chain were 0.18, 6.57, and 7.88 for mercury; 6.82, 2.01, and 0.48 for cadmium; 1.47, 2.24, and 0.57 for lead, respectively. On the whole, mercury was the most largely biomagnified, but cadmium and lead were not greatly accumulated in the carnivorous insects as expected when the food chain extended to the secondary consumers. Results indicated that concentration factors depended on metals and insects species of food chains.

We researched mercury contents in plants and arthropods collected from the river banks in mercury polluted areas. The results show that total mercury (T-Hg) and methyl mercury (Me-Hg) in Locusta migratoria manilensis and Acrida chinensis are 0.032 - 0.402 mg x kg(-1), 0.023 - 0.362 mg x kg(-1) and 0.003 - 0.031 mg x kg(-1), 0.004 - 0.015 mg x kg(-1) while the proportion of Me-Hg to T-Hg are 3.5% - 49.7% and 2.0% - 44.4%. T-Hg in arthropods is higher than that a magnitude in non-polluted areas. As primary consumers, mercury contents in Locusta migratoria manilensis and Acrida chinensis are lower than plants they eat. That is not consistent with the non-polluted areas. Paratenodera sinensis is the second consumer and there is an obvious mercury accumulation in it. For Locusta migratoria manilensis, T-Hg decreased with the body length while for Acrida chinensis that increased following a decreasing. But Me-Hg in both increased with body length. Mercury contents in tissues of arthropods are significantly different. The order is abdomen > thorax > head. Mercury and methyl mercury contents in arthropods would lead wild birds, fowls and amphibians in the ecologic risk condition.

Temporal variation rule of mercury during 1973, 1976, 1983, 1991 and 2004 in surface sediments from the Second Songhua River was get. Mercury levels increased before 1976 and decreased on a certain extent in 1976-1982; mercury pollution source was halted in 1982, so mercury levels fell greatly; in the following years, mercury levels was in the slow purification time. Sediment samples taken this time were divided into three granularity scales. Based on sediments of 63 microm granularity, the horizontal variation rule was analyzed. Mercury levels reached the maximum at the pollution source site, increased from Shaokou Segment to Chaoyangqiao Segment, and fell largely from Chaoyangqiao Segment to Wujiazhan Segment, where mercury levels attained the minimum. And mercury levels slightly increased from Wujiazhan Segment to Ganshuigang Segment. In addition, the vertical variation rule of mercury levels in sediments of typical segments was shown.