Canadian environmental quality guidelines for mercury

CCME Canadian Environmental Quality Guidelines for mercury have been recommended or are under development for soil, water and sediments. These guidelines provide nationally consistent benchmarks for environmental quality across Canada and are intended as decision support tools in protecting and sustaining aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems in Canada and the beneficial uses they support. A Canadian water quality guideline for protection of aquatic life was recommended in 1987 as 0.1 mu g times L super(-1). Currently, mercury guidelines for soils and sediments are under development. Preliminary calculations indicate that interim marine and freshwater sediment guidelines for the protection of aquatic life will both be 0.14 mg times kg super(-1); and that soil quality guidelines will be 2.0 mg times kg super(-1) (agricultural and residential land uses), and 30.0 mg times kg super(-1) (commercial and industrial land uses). Final recommended values are subject to change pending final approval by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment.