Mercury in the News

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Research at Kejimkujik National Park [HQ]

Researchers are studying the loons that make the lakes at Nova Scotia’s Kejimkujik National Park their home. It’s important research which has implications for everybody. Heidi sat down with a scientist who is tracking the increasing levels of mercury being found in the park’s fish and loons.

More...Posted: Breakfast Television — JUNE 3, 2011

Global mercury emissions soaring

Rising emissions in China swamp reductions in Europe, North America

Global mercury emissions could grow significantly by 2020 if no action is taken to control them, posing a threat to polar bears, whales and seals and the Arctic communities who hunt those animals for food, an international study says.

"If measures are not taken to reduce emissions, models suggest that global emissions could increase by 25 per cent by 2020 compared to 2005 levels," said the report by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program, a scientific body set up by the eight Arctic rim countries.

Read full article...Posted: CBC.CA — MAY 5, 2011

Long-Delayed Rules for Cleaner Air

After 20 years of delays and interminable litigation, the Obama administration has proposed a new rule requiring power plants to reduce emissions of mercury and other airborne toxics by 91 percent within the next five years. Some environmental groups saw the rule as the most important step forward for healthier air since the Clean Air Act was last updated in 1990. It is unquestionably a victory for the public: when fully effective, the rule could save as many as 17,000 lives a year.

Read full article...Posted: NY TIMES — MARCH 20, 2011

Mercury's health effects

Mercury — also known as quicksilver — is a naturally occurring silvery, liquid metal released from rocks, soil and volcanoes. It is the only metal that is liquid at room temperature and normal pressure.

While mercury is now widely understood to be a neurotoxin that can adversely affect children's brain development and adult neurological health, it has been used for centuries in various industrial processes and consumer products.

Read full article...Posted: CBC.CA — MARCH 1, 2011