Laogang landfill near Shanghai is the largest landfill in China, and receives about 10000 t of daily garbage per day, Samples of topsoil and plants were analyzed to evaluate mercury pollution from the landfill. For topsoil samples, there were significant correlations among total mercury （HgT）, combinative mercury （Hgc） and gaseous mercury （HgG）, and content of total organic carbon （TOC）, but, no significantly relationship was found between Hg content and filling time. Hg content changes in vertical profiles with time showed that the average Hgv of profiles 1992, 1996, and 2000 was similar, but their average HgG was quite different. HgT was significantly correlated with Hgc in profile 1992 and 2000, and Hgv was significantly correlated with Hg6 in profile 1996. HgG/Hgv ratio in profile samples decreased in the order of （HgG,/HgT）1992〉（HgG/HgT）1996〉〉（HgG/HgT）2000. A simple outline of Hg release in landfill could be drawn： with increasing of filling time, degradation undergoes different biodegradation, accordingly, gaseous mercury goes through small, more, and small proportion to total mercury. Distribution of Hg in plants was inhomogeneous, following the order of leaf〉root〉stem. The highest value of leaf may be associated with higher atmospheric Hg from landfill. Ligneous plants （e.g. Phyllostachys glanca, Prunus salicina and Ligustrum lucidum） are capable of enriching more Hg than herbaceous plants.
Estuaries are important sites for mercury （Hg） methylation, with sulfate-reducing bacteria （SRB） thought to be the main Hg methylators. Distributions of total mercury （THg） and methylmercury （MeHg） in mangrove sediment and sediment core from Jiulong River Estuary Provincial Mangrove Reserve, China were determined and the possible mechanisms of Hg methylation and their controlling factors in mangrove sediments were investigated. Microbiological and geochemical parameters were also determined. Results showed that SRB constitute a small fraction of total bacteria （TB） in both surface sediments and the profile of sediments. The content of THg, MeHg, TB, and SRB were （350 ± 150） ng/g, （0.47 ± 0.11） ng/g, （1.4× 10^011 ± 4.1 × 10^9） cfu/g dry weight （dw）, and （5.0× 10^6 d： 2.7 × 10^6） cfu/g dw in surficial sediments, respectively, and （240 ± 24） ng/g, （0.30 ± 0.15） ng/g, （1.9 × 10^11 ± 4.2 × 10^9） cfu/g dw, and （1.3 × 10^6 ± 2.0 × 10^6） cfu/g dw in sediment core, respectively. Results showed that THg, MeHg, TB, MeHg/THg, salinity and total sulfur （TS） increased with depth, but total organic matter （TOM）, SRB, and pH decreased with depth. Concentrations of MeHg in sediments showed significant positive correlation with THg, salinity, TS, and MeHg/THg, and significant negative correlation with SRB, TOM, and pH. It was concluded that other microbes, rather than SRB, may also act as main Hg methylators in mangrove sediments.
