[Atmospheric pollution and mercury poisoning caused by peasants mercury smelting]

The article reports the results of the investigation on atmospheric pollution and mercury poisoning caused by the peasants mercury smelting. Mercury-smelting is a sideline occupation of the peasants in the mining area. They carried out the production in their homes, which were not protected. The equipment used was simple and the technological level low. Much was done during the slack seasons in farming. Before mercury-smelting was carried out the mercury concentration of air inside the house of the key household was 0.099 2 mg/m3, and outside 0.060 9 mg/m3. During mercury-smelting, near the stove, inside the house of the key household and the next door neighbour the concentrations were high, reaching 0.6463, 0.3160, 0.1717 mg/m3 respectively. At 10m, 30m, 100m, from the stove the figures were 0.0628, 0.0377 and 0.0079 mg/m3 respectively. 126 persons in 36 key households and their neighbours were given physical examinations and the incidence of chronic mercury poisoning of the operators, family members and their neighbours' family members were 75.00%, 13.79%, 3.57%, the mercury absorptivity were 12.50%, 34.48% and 21.43%, while the concentrations of mercury in the urine were 59.18, 18.21, 9.62 micrograms/L respectively. The mercury absorptivity of children under 15 was high 45.45%. The youngest age that absorbed mercury was 3. The characteristics of the harm that the peasants mercury smelting caused were discussed and suggestions proposed for their remedy.