Mercury content in plant products and the population’s biospheres in the area of accumulated damage

Introduction. As a result of long-term economic activity of chemical plants in urban agglomeration areas, an increased accumulation of potentially hazardous toxic compounds has been observed.

Materials and methods. Biomonitoring, atomic absorption method, statistical analysis

Results. In vegetable samples collected in the Usolsky district, mercury levels ranged from 0.029 to 0.095 mg/kg (1.45–4.75 MPL), with the highest excess levels observed in carrots (0.091 and 0.093 mg/kg), peppers (0.092 mg/kg), onions (0.094 mg/kg), and cabbage (0.095 mg/kg). In the biological environments of the population of the Usolsky district revealed ecotoxicant levels over the range of 0.0–5.4 and 0.0–3.0 µg/l in urine and blood among adults, respectively, and 0.0–2.7 µg/l among children. The proportion of samples where mercury was not detected was 44.4% for blood, 38.0% for urine among adults, and 19.2% for urine among children.

Limitations. The conducted study took into account only the content of heavy metal (mercury) in vegetables and biological environments of the population.

Conclusion. Mercury contamination was confirmed by the results of post-operational analysis of vegetable products at the city-forming enterprise. Mercury levels exceeding the maximum permissible limit (0.02 mg/kg) were detected in 69.0% of vegetable samples (by 1.05–4.75 times). Median mercury concentrations in urine and blood among the surveyed population of the Usolsky district did not exceed permissible limits.

Compliance with ethical standards. The study was approved by the Local Ethics Committee of the East-Siberian Institute of Medical and Ecological Research, The study was conducted in accordance with the ethical principles of the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki (2013 edition), did not infringe on the rights of the study subjects, did not endanger them. All participants and their legal representatives gave informed voluntary written consent to participate in the study.

Contribution:
Zhurba O.M. – search for literature sources, data processing, text writing;
Merinov A.V. – search for literature sources, data processing, statistical processing, text writing;
Efimova N.V. – research concept and design, scientific consulting;
Katamanova E.V. – research concept, design and editing;
Savchenkov M.F. – research concept and design.
All authors are responsible for the integrity of all parts of the manuscript and approval of the manuscript final version.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Funding. The work was carried out within the framework of funds allocated for the implementation of exploratory and scientific research of the state task East-Siberian Institute of Medical and Ecological Research.

Received: October 30, 2025 / Accepted: December 2, 2025 / Published: January 15, 2026

1. Pichugin E.A., Shenfeld B.E. The health of citizens and their life expectancy as a criterion for assessing the negative impact of objects of accumulated environmental damage on the state of the environment and man. Ekologiya urbanizirovannykh territorii. 2021; (3): 62–70. https://doi.org/10.24412/1816-1863-2021-3-62-70 https://elibrary.ru/mdybdh (in Russian)

2. Malov A.M., Lukovnikova L.V., Alikbayeva L.A., Iakubova I.S., Shchegolikhin D.K. The results of the monitoring of the mercury contamination within a megapolis. Gigiena i Sanitaria (Hygiene and Sanitation, Russian journal). 2018; 97(12): 1189–94. https://elibrary.ru/mjesbf (in Russian)

3. Rakitskii V.N., Synitskaya T.A., Skupnevskii S.V. Current issues of environmental mercury pollution (review). Gigiena i Sanitaria (Hygiene and Sanitation, Russian journal). 2020; 99(5): 460–7. https://doi.org/10.33029/0016-9900-2020-99-5-460-467 https://elibrary.ru/cxkmri (in Russian)

4. Chechet B.F. Environmental situation around the «Usolekhimprom». Sovremennye tekhnologii i nauchno-tekhnicheskii progress. 2023; (10): 299–300. https://elibrary.ru/rqwauk (in Russian)

5. Kachor O.L., Parshin A.V., Trusova V.V., Kurina A.V., Ikramov Z.L.U. Assessment of air quality in the area of the future ecotechnopark "Vostok" (Usolye-Sibirskoye, Irkutsk region) based on snow geochemical survey data. Arktika i Antarktika. 2025; (2): 15–34. https://doi.org/10.7256/2453-8922.2025.2.73789 https://elibrary.ru/qttslm (in Russian)

6. Mylnikova I.V., Ushakova O.V., Efimova N.V., Katamanova E.V. Comparative analysis of the primary morbidity in the population in the territory of accumulated risk over the post-operation period of a chemical enterprise. Gigiena i Sanitaria (Hygiene and Sanitation, Russian journal). 2024; 103(9): 932–9. https://doi.org/10.47470/0016-9900-2024-103-9-932-939 https://elibrary.ru/hvonnw (in Russian)

7. Troshkova I.A., Elchininova O.A., Puzanov A.V., Baboshkina S.V., Rozhdestvenskaya T.A. Mercury in soils of recreational areas of the Lower Katunya basin. Izvestiya Altaiskogo otdeleniya Russkogo geograficheskogo obshchestva. 2025; (1): 20–40. https://doi.org/10.24412/2410-1192-2025-17602 https://elibrary.ru/lhonvr (in Russian)

8. Gladyshev V. Toxic properties of mercury and its effect on the organisms of animals and humans. The Scientific Heritage. 2021; (81–2): 16–22. https://doi.org/10.24412/9215-0365-2021-81-2-16-22 https://elibrary.ru/mxseab (in Russian)

9. Witkowska D., Słowik J., Chilicka K. Heavy metals and human health: possible exposure pathways and the competition for protein binding sites. Molecules. 2021; 26(19): 6060. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26196060

10. Agbalyan E.V., Efimova N.V., Shinkaruk E.V. Mercury in the Environment of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug: Exposure and Health Risks [Rtut’ v okruzhayushchei srede Yamalo-Nenetskogo avtonomnogo okruga: ekspozitsiya i riski zdorov’yu naseleniya]. Salekhard: Izdatel’skie resheniya; 2021. (in Russian)

11. Baranovskaya N.V., Ivanov V.V., Osipova N.A., Panichev A.M., Chekryzhov I.Yu., Doronina V.D., et al. Mercury in soils and vegetation in protected areas of Primorsky krai. Izvestiya Tomskogo politekhnicheskogo universiteta. Inzhiniring georesursov. 2022; 333(11): 90–100. https://doi.org/10.18799/24131830/2022/11/3759 https://elibrary.ru/doyswt (in Russian)

12. Kucherskaya T.I., Alikbayeva L.A., Kombarova M.Yu., Lukovnikova L.V., Aleksandrova E.S. Hygienic assessment of mercury content in the air on the territory of the industrial site of the city of Usolye-Sibirskoe. In: Current Issues in Hygiene. Collection of Scientific Papers of the IX All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference with International Participation [Aktual’nye voprosy gigieny. Sbornik nauchnykh trudov IX Vserossiiskoi nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii s mezhdunarodnym uchastiem]. St. Petersburg; 2024: 133–7. (in Russian)

13. Balali-Mood M., Naseri K., Tahergorabi Z., Khazdair M.R., Sadeghi M. Toxic mechanisms of five heavy metals: mercury, lead, chromium, cadmium, and arsenic. Front. Pharmacol. 2021; 12: 643972. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2021.643972

14. Ganzei K.S., Pshenichnikova N.F., Kiselyova A.G., Yurchenko S.G., Rodnikova I.M. Mercury content in the soil-vegetation cover of Russky and Shkot islands (Peter the great bay, Primorsky territory). Geohimiya. 2021; 66(5): 473–80. https://doi.org/10.31857/S0016752521030043 (in Russian)

15. Kabata-Pendias A., Pendias H. Trace Elements in Soils and Plants. Boca Raton (Fla.): CRC Press; 2001.

16. Tsyganenko A.Ya., Zhukov V.I., Myasoedov V.V., Zavgorodniy I.V. Clinical Biochemistry [Klinicheskaya biokhimiya]. Moscow: Triada-X; 2002. (in Russian)

17. Efimova N.V., Lisetskaya L.G., Zhurba O.M., Taranenko N.A., Boeva A.V., Dyakovich O.A., et al. Regional Reference Levels of Chemical Content in Biosubstrates of the Population of the Irkutsk Region (Methodological Recommendations) [Regional’nye referensnye urovni soderzhaniya khimicheskikh v biosubstrakh naseleniya Irkutskoy oblasti (Metodicheskie rekomendatsii)]. Angarsk; 2013. (in Russian)

18. United Nations Environment Programme. Report on harmonized systems for measuring mercury in the body; 2011. (in Russian)

19. Naprasnikova E.V. The ecological state of the soils of the industrial city of Usolye-Sibirskoye. Ekologiya i promyshlennost’ Rossii. 2021; 25(6): 68–71. https://doi.org/10.18412/1816-0395-2021-6-68-71 https://elibrary.ru/xecvpw (in Russian)

20. Shayakhmetov S.F., Rukavishnikov V.S., Zhurba O.M., Merinov A.V., Alekseenko A.N. The current state of environmental pollution with heavy metals in the city of Svirsk. Geografiya i prirodnye resursy. 2025; 46(2): 65–72. https://doi.org/10.15372/GIPR20250206 https://elibrary.ru/ihheoo (in Russian)

21. Lukovnikova L.V., Sidorin G.I., Alikbaeva L.A., Galochina A.V. On the role of biomonitoring in the assessment of the health of the population exposed to mercury. Toksikologicheskii vestnik. 2017; (5): 2–7. https://doi.org/10.36946/0869-7922-2017-5-2-7 https://elibrary.ru/zswior (in Russian)

22. Zhao S., Duan Y., Liu M., Lu J., Pudasainee D., Gupta R. A review on mercury in coal combustion process: Content and occurrence forms in coal, transformation, sampling methods, emission and control technologies. Prog. Energy Combust. Sci. 2019; 73: 26–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pecs.2019.02.001

23. Osipova N.A., Yazikov E.G., Yankovich E.P. Heavy metals in soil and vegetables as a risk factor for health of consumers. Fundamental’nye issledovaniya. 2013; (8–3): 681–6. https://elibrary.ru/qjgpsf (in Russian)

24. Teplaya G.A., Rybkin V.S., Polyanskaya N.V., Kalyatkina V.P. The heavy metal content in vegetable and melon cultures in the Astrakhan region. Estestvennye nauki. 2013; (1): 059–65. https://elibrary.ru/pzjoqf (in Russian)

25. Efimova N.V., Tarmaeva I.Yu., Bogdanova O.G. Evaluation of food contamination in the Republic of Buryatia. Gigiena i Sanitaria (Hygiene and Sanitation, Russian journal). 2015; 94(3): 93–6. https://elibrary.ru/twembl (in Russian)

26. Allayarova G.R., Larionova T.K., Daukaev R.A., Afonkina S.R., Aukhadieva E.A., Kurilov M.V. Accumulation of heavy metals in the soil – plant system in areas with the developed mining industry. Gigiena i Sanitaria (Hygiene and Sanitation, Russian journal). 2021; 100(11): 1203–8. https://doi.org/10.47470/0016-9900-2021-100-11-1203-1208 https://elibrary.ru/ilhhug (in Russian)

27. Daukaev R.A., Larionova T.K., Adieva G.F., Allayarova G.R., Afonkina S.R., Usmanova E.N. The content of trace elements in food products consumed by residents of the industrial region. Epokha nauki. 2024; (39): 311–6. https://elibrary.ru/elghal (in Russian)

28. Zemlyanova M.A., Zaitseva N.V., Koldibekova Yu.V., Pustovalova O.V. Changes in biochemical parameters in children exposed to objects of accumulated environmental damage. Gigiena i Sanitaria (Hygiene and Sanitation, Russian journal). 2022; 101(6): 675–82. https://doi.org/10.47470/0016-9900-2022-101-6-675-682 https://elibrary.ru/qfkdmr (in Russian)