Put the Cure in Mercury

Mercury contamination in fish declines when emissions go down

Posted at 2:41 PM on 18 Sep 2007

Mercury contamination of waterways and marine life doesn't have to be an ongoing problem -- all we have to do is limit industrial mercury emissions. Easy! After a seven-year experiment in a Canada lake, researchers publishing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences concluded that mercury concentrations in fish would decline relatively quickly if their ecosystem was no longer contaminated. So someday, if we all lobby hard enough against mercury-spewing (and otherwise evil) coal plants, you may be able to eat your sushi without fear of being poisoned. But we'd still watch out for the Kool-Aid.

sources: ScienceNOW, Edmonton Journal, New Kerala

ADVERTISING POLICY

News & Analysis In the News Gristmill Blog Muckraker Podcast Features Columns Ask Umbra Victual Reality Weekly Recipes The Bottom Line From A to Green The Grist List top topics Barack Obama biofuels business celebrity climate coal dumbassery energy environmental justice food gas prices green living greenwashing hotties John McCain parenting polar bears politics presidential race 08 more ... Support nonprofit, independent environmental journalism. Donate to Grist.	about grist \| support grist \| job board \| archives \| grist by email \| RSS ADVERTISING POLICY Search [Advanced] Sign up to get Grist by email or RSS feed
	Read more about: coal \| fishing \| food \| health \| news \| toxics \| all of these topics Tools: print \| email \| write to the editor \| subscribe \| RSS Share: digg \| hugg \| stumbleupon \| reddit \| newsvine \| fark \| facebook Bookmark: del.icio.us \| google \| yahoo Put the Cure in Mercury Mercury contamination in fish declines when emissions go down Posted at 2:41 PM on 18 Sep 2007 Mercury contamination of waterways and marine life doesn't have to be an ongoing problem -- all we have to do is limit industrial mercury emissions. Easy! After a seven-year experiment in a Canada lake, researchers publishing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences concluded that mercury concentrations in fish would decline relatively quickly if their ecosystem was no longer contaminated. So someday, if we all lobby hard enough against mercury-spewing (and otherwise evil) coal plants, you may be able to eat your sushi without fear of being poisoned. But we'd still watch out for the Kool-Aid. sources: ScienceNOW, Edmonton Journal, New Kerala ADVERTISING POLICY < Previous \| Next > Comments: There are no comments. Be the first to post! You are not logged in. Thus, you cannot post a comment. If you have a Gristmill account, log in below. If you don't have a Gristmill account, well, by all means go make one! Meet you back here in five. Username: Password: Forgot your password? Enter your username and click: The comments of Grist users reflect the opinions of those individuals only, and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of Grist, its staff, its board members, their psychotherapists, or their aestheticians. Got it?	Also in Grist Put Up or Shut Up A saucy recipe to help you enjoy your summer tomatoes. Baby Got Back-to-School A roundup of fun, green school supplies. Rot 'n' Roll How composting is like sex, and how to, ahem, do it. Dope on a Soap Are Method cleansers as green as they seem? Umbra investigates. The Week's Most Popular Viewed Commented Emailed Making a stink about green(ish) deodorants Ask Umbra on toxins in your body Amid collapsing fisheries and factory-farmed salmon, how to choose sustainable seafood Ask Umbra on Method cleansers Ask Umbra on eco-conversions From Goode to Bad-ass Prince Charles sparked controversy when he expressed doubt in GM crops Amid collapsing fisheries and factory-farmed salmon, how to choose sustainable seafood Why do more men than women support nuclear power? What it means to put 4.1 billion bushels of corn into our gas tanks Fleet of hydrogen concept vehicles crosses U.S. as part of Hydrogen Road Tour Making a stink about green(ish) deodorants Amid collapsing fisheries and factory-farmed salmon, how to choose sustainable seafood Ask Umbra on diet soda How to start composting Cost of solar cells may be driven down dramatically From the Archives Don't Worry, White Billionaires, We Haven't Forgotten You. Native Americans likely to be hit especially hard by climate change, says report. Fear to Tread. Alt-fuel industry recycles rubber tires, contributes to air pollution. Nuisance Review. Judge tosses out lawsuit brought by California against automakers. News Archives