Migration of elemental mercury through soil from simulated burial sites

The potential migration of metallic mercury from shallow land burial sites into groundwater has been investigated by means of laboratory column tests and radioactive tracers. It was found that mercury will dissolve in water on concentrations of 20–80 ppb and high concentrations of EDTA in water will increase mercury solubility by complex formation. Standing mercury was found to penetrate up to 3–4 cm into dry soil columns under its own head. Flow tests with soil-equilibrated water, EDTA solutions or kaolin suspensions all showed little demonstrable migration or entrainment beyond the top 2 cm of the columns.