(Table 2) Contents of labile mercury forms in soils from the area of the Bol'shoe Yarovoe lake

We examined mercury distribution in soils and plants of the catchment area of the Bol'shoe Yarovoe lake with the Altaikhimprom chemical industrial complex localized on its shore. Data on mercury contents show considerable mercury flow into environment, though the industrial complex and its waste do not pose serious threat. Revealed pollution in the immediate vicinity of the industrial complex including that due to atmospheric transport, as well as elevated content of mercury in hydrochloric and alkaline extracts suggest its intense migration from the waste. Therefore, it is necessary to make an inventory of the industrial-complex waste and perform a detailed study of the lake ecosystem as a model unit.