Mercury contamination refers to the presence and cycling of mercury, particularly its toxic organic form methylmercury, in environmental and biological systems at concentrations that pose ecological and human health risks. It arises from natural sources (e.g., volcanic activity, weathering) and anthropogenic activities (e.g., coal combustion, artisanal gold mining, industrial discharges), leading to atmospheric transport, deposition, and subsequent transformation by microorganisms in aquatic and terrestrial environments. Research focuses on speciation, bioavailability, biomagnification in food webs, exposure pathways, dose–response relationships, and mitigation strategies, including emission controls, remediation of contaminated sediments and soils, and risk assessment for vulnerable populations.
In a recent study published in the journal Biogeosciences, scientists have confirmed that mercury pollution from artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is contaminating food crops not through the soil, as previously ...
Ecology
Oct 20, 2025
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According to a study by the Department of Physics and the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB), the Mar Menor saltwater lagoon in Murcia, Spain, the largest ...
Earth Sciences
Oct 13, 2025
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Climate-driven oxygen loss in the Black Sea thousands of years ago triggered the expansion of microorganisms capable of producing the potent neurotoxin methylmercury. That is shown in a new study published in Nature Water, ...
Environment
Oct 9, 2025
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Researchers at the ESRF, the European Synchrotron, together with CNRS, ENS Lyon and the Institute of Marine Research in Norway, have unveiled how Atlantic Bluefin tuna transforms the toxic form of mercury into less harmful ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 18, 2025
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231
A flash of pink breaks the muddy surface of the Amazon River as scientists and veterinarians, waist-deep in the warm current, patiently work a mesh net around a pod of river dolphins. They draw it tighter with each pass, ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 16, 2025
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Researchers from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) have traced the atmospheric journey of industrial mercury emissions from Asia into the open ocean food ...
Environment
Sep 2, 2025
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The wetlands found across the Rocky Mountains of Colorado just below tree line are magical places. Dripping with mosses and deep green sedges, these open expanses flanked by evergreens are a breathtaking sight for passing ...
Earth Sciences
Aug 23, 2025
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Researchers from the Federal University of Alagoas (UFAL) and the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in Brazil have found high levels of mercury in the blood and urine of people living on the shores of the Mundaú Lagoon ...
Environment
Jun 25, 2025
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Despite global reductions in mercury emissions, mercury concentrations in Arctic wildlife continue to rise. A study published in Nature Communications by researchers from Aarhus University and the University of Copenhagen ...
Environment
Jun 12, 2025
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Mercury levels in the world's rivers have more than doubled since the pre-industrial era, according to new research from Tulane University that establishes the first known global baseline for riverine mercury pollution.
Earth Sciences
Jun 11, 2025
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