Nickel & compounds: Environmental effects
Description
Very small amounts of nickel have been shown to be essential for normal growth and reproduction in some species of animals. Nickel and its compounds can have high acute and chronic toxicity to aquatic life. Nickel toxicity to aquatic organisms is determined by water hardness - the softer the water, the higher the toxicity. Insufficient data are available to evaluate or predict the short term and the long term effects of nickel and its compounds to plants, birds, or land animals. Nickel does not appear to collect in fish, plants, or animals used for food.
Entering the environment
Nickel can be transported as particles released into the atmosphere or as dissolved compounds in natural waters.
Where it ends up
Finely divided particles of nickel and nickel compounds are mainly carried by air. Contributions to the atmosphere come from both natural sources and human activity, with input from both stationary and mobile sources. Various dry and wet precipitation processes remove particulate matter as wash out or fallout from the atmosphere with transfer to soils and waters. Soil borne nickel may enter waters by surface run off or by percolation into ground water.
Nickel occurs naturally in surface waters from the weathering of minerals and rocks. Once nickel is in surface and ground water systems, physical and chemical interactions (complexation, precipitation/dissolution, adsorption/desorption, and oxidation/reduction) will determine its fate. Under normal conditions, nickel is overwhelmingly associated with abundant iron and manganese particles which precipitate and absorb free nickel ions. Much of the nickel in the environment is therefore found in soils and sediments. Organic material in polluted environments will keep nickel soluble.
Environmental guidelines
Australian Water Quality Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Waters: (ANZECC, 1992):
Maximum of 0.015 milligram/L (i.e. 0.000015 g/L) to 0.15 milligram/L (i.e. 0.00015 g/L) in fresh waters (depending on water hardness) and 0.015 milligram/L (i.e. 0.000015 g/L) in marine waters respectively.
Key
Links to an another web site
Opens a pop-up window
