Humans Have Tripled Mercury Levels in the Ocean
Anne Casselman
Scientific American
August 6, 2014
Full article: http://ogoapes.weebly.com/uploads/3/2/3/9/3239894/humans_have_tripled_mercury_levels_in_the_ocean_-_scientific_american.pdf
Topic: Mercury Emissions
Summary:
Since the Industrial Revolution, mercury levels in the ocean have tripled. Researchers collect data regarding the amount of mercury in the world’s ocean, where it came from, and what depths it is found. The significant increase in mercury levels is due to mostly the burning of fossil fuels and mining. This leads to biological magnification which is the process whereby certain substances such as pesticides or mercury toxins move up the food chain. In this case, tuna’s mercury levels are “10 million times higher than those in the surrounding sea water.” Excessive release of mercury will eventually lead to the loss of deep water’s ability to sequester mercury resulting in the increase in humans’ and marine lives’ exposures. Fortunately, David Krabbenholft asserted that “efforts to reduce mercury pollution could be effective.”
Reflection:
I was interested in this article because of its title: “Humans have Tripled Mercury Levels in the Ocean.” I learned in biology and chemistry that mercury is one of the most toxic substances on the planet. Exposure to the chemical can cause neurodevelopmental problems in children and reproductive health and fertility problems of some marine organisms. Humans are at risk because we capture fish that are higher in the food chain. They contain the most toxins due to biological magnification. The increase in mercury levels only exacerbates the issue. Luckily, because oceans are not uniformly contaminated, humans can effectively reduce mercury pollution.
Anne Casselman
Scientific American
August 6, 2014
Full article: http://ogoapes.weebly.com/uploads/3/2/3/9/3239894/humans_have_tripled_mercury_levels_in_the_ocean_-_scientific_american.pdf
Topic: Mercury Emissions
Summary:
Since the Industrial Revolution, mercury levels in the ocean have tripled. Researchers collect data regarding the amount of mercury in the world’s ocean, where it came from, and what depths it is found. The significant increase in mercury levels is due to mostly the burning of fossil fuels and mining. This leads to biological magnification which is the process whereby certain substances such as pesticides or mercury toxins move up the food chain. In this case, tuna’s mercury levels are “10 million times higher than those in the surrounding sea water.” Excessive release of mercury will eventually lead to the loss of deep water’s ability to sequester mercury resulting in the increase in humans’ and marine lives’ exposures. Fortunately, David Krabbenholft asserted that “efforts to reduce mercury pollution could be effective.”
Reflection:
I was interested in this article because of its title: “Humans have Tripled Mercury Levels in the Ocean.” I learned in biology and chemistry that mercury is one of the most toxic substances on the planet. Exposure to the chemical can cause neurodevelopmental problems in children and reproductive health and fertility problems of some marine organisms. Humans are at risk because we capture fish that are higher in the food chain. They contain the most toxins due to biological magnification. The increase in mercury levels only exacerbates the issue. Luckily, because oceans are not uniformly contaminated, humans can effectively reduce mercury pollution.