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.
New research from the University of Georgia's Odum School of Ecology and Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant suggests there may be elevated levels of mercury in Georgia and South Carolina waters.
Plants & Animals
Jun 11, 2025
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621
Forests in the Peruvian Amazon aren't growing back after gold mining—not just because the soil is damaged by toxic metals, but because the land has been depleted of its water. A common mining method known as suction mining ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 2, 2025
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217
Climate change is melting glaciers and permafrost in the mountains outside of Boulder, Colorado, exposing rocks and freeing up minerals containing sulfate, a form of sulfur, to flow downstream into local watersheds.
Earth Sciences
May 16, 2025
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119
Mercury (Hg) is a naturally occurring element found across the globe, yet it becomes highly toxic as it accumulates up the food chain. Pollution from human activities has pumped increasing amounts of mercury into the atmosphere, ...
Earth Sciences
May 15, 2025
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35
Mercury is released by environmental and human-driven processes. Some forms, specifically methylmercury, are toxic to humans. Therefore, policies and regulations to limit mercury emissions have been implemented across the ...
Environment
May 8, 2025
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163
Sulfur applied to sugarcane crops in South Florida is flowing into wetlands upgradient of Everglades National Park, triggering a chemical reaction that converts mercury into toxic methylmercury, which accumulates in fish, ...
Environment
May 8, 2025
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59
Research led by the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO-CSIC), with the participation of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM-CSIC), has reconstructed the history of pollution ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 28, 2025
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26
What if counteracting mercury contamination in waterways could be as simple as adding selenium? That proposition has gained traction among some scientists and governments, but new research from Cornell and the U.S. Geological ...
Environment
Apr 28, 2025
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38
In 1962, when environmentalist and author Rachel Carson penned "Silent Spring," alerting the world to the dangers of the pesticide DDT, it was the reproductive threat to birds—the bald eagle in particular—that spurred people ...
Environment
Apr 10, 2025
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98
For hundreds of years, the Amazon has been exploited for its gold. Today, the precious metal is just as sought after, but the remaining tiny gold particles are much harder to find. Mining often happens in artisanal and small-scale ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 8, 2025
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59
