(ANSA) - TRIESTE, NOV 9 - The waters of the Gulf of Trieste are the Mediterranean coastal area most polluted by mercury yet a study by the University of Trieste found that the average concentration of mercury in the hair of residents in the site (1.63 mg/kg) is well below the toxicity threshold for humans (10 mg/kg) and only slightly higher than the limit expected for pregnant women and children (1 mg/kg). The metal traces in the hair are related to fish and shellfish consumption in the diet.

The high pollution in the area is due to discharges into the Soča (Isonzo) River for more than 500 years, which have drained the cinnabar mining activity of the Idrija mining district (western Slovenia). (ANSA).