HgEx — A heuristic system on mercury pollution in the Amazon

HgEx is an Expert System that addresses the complex problems surrounding the pollution of the Amazon with Hg by informal mining operations. The system integrates information on biology, chemistry, geochemistry, medical, social and political issues in order to evaluate contamination for a single site or region. The program attempts to diagnose the possibility of hazardous Hg transformations such as oxidation and methylation. An extensive tutorial section containing over 1500 electronic pages provides guidelines for Hg monitoring fieldwork, sampling and analytical steps, amalgamation practices improvements and remelioration procedures for a polluted site. The system is structured for use by either highly-skilled personnel or those without technical-training.