AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |
Back to Blog
Mercury hg8/27/2023 ![]() ![]() ![]() Methylation-the conversion of inorganic mercury to organic methylmercury-is the most important step in the mercury cycle because it greatly increases toxicity and potential for accumulation in aquatic organisms. Nearly all of the mercury found in fish tissue is methylmercury.Īre fish unsafe to eat? Where can I find information about the potential health effects? Mercury is deposited from the atmosphere primarily as inorganic mercury. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), emissions from coal-fired power plants are the largest source of mercury to the atmosphere. It is a global pollutant that ultimately makes its way into every aquatic ecosystem through one of two routes:Ītmospheric deposition is the primary source of mercury to most aquatic ecosystems. Mercury is one of the most serious contaminants threatening our Nation’s waters because it is a potent neurological poison in fish, wildlife, and humans. Effects on the nervous system are the most prevalent in humans. Visit Media to see details.Īll forms of mercury are toxic to humans, but methylmercury is especially of concern because our bodies have a less well-developed defense mechanism against this toxin. This bioaccumulation can cause high levels of mercury in top predator fishes (which people eat) and have a detrimental effect on humans and on fish-eating wildlife. Methylmercury levels in predatory fish are typically more than one million times higher than methylmercury levels in water that the fish inhabit. This means that large fish that eat the smaller fish are actually eating the accumulated mercury contained in the accumulated fish. In other words, tiny organisms can absorb mercury, and then tiny ocean fish eat those organisms, and then larger fish eat the smaller fish. The harmful methylmercury form of mercury readily crosses biological membranes and can accumulate to harmful concentrations in the exposed organism and become increasingly concentrated up the food chain. Mercury is a concern because it is absorbed easily into the food chain. If you get too much in you, you can suffer from mercury poisoning, which is both unpleasant and potentially fatal. It builds up in the body with each exposure and is very difficult to remove. Mercury is extremely poisonous, and we can absorb it by touch, inhalation, or consumption. However, the main source of mercury in the environment is from human activity through coal-combustion electrical power generation and industrial waste disposal ( USGS, 2003). Once mercury is released to the environment, it can be converted to a biologically toxic form of methylmercury (MeHg) by microorganisms found in soil and in the aquatic environment. Mercury is released through the natural weathering of rock and (or) volcanic activity. People have been extracting mercury from cinnabar since at least Roman times. Mercury (Hg) is a naturally occurring metal found primarily in a mineral called cinnabar, which can contain up to 86 percent mercury.
0 Comments
Read More
Leave a Reply. |