Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Although food is the dominant source of mercury for most people, mercury can contaminate drinking water supplies, particularly near mining sites. Bacteria in lake, stream, and ocean sediments then convert elemental mercury into organic mercury compounds such as methylmercury. The major source of mercury is from natural degassing of the earth's crust.
, This resource is rare in the Library.Link network, Click the 'Query Network' button to show other libraries in the Library.Link network that share this resource, Sources of mercury in sediments, water, and fish of the lakes of Whatcom County, Washington, by Anthony J. Paulson ; prepared in cooperation with the Whatcom County Health Department and the Washington State Department of Ecology, Washington (State), Department of Ecology, Whatcom County (Wash.), Health & Human Services Department, Reston, Va., U.S. Dept. Roughly 90% of the mercury in Minnesota lakes originates in other states and countries. Lead solder and lead in alloy fittings can also be important sources of lead in drinking-water (2). Mercury in Surface Water. As a result, the Minnesota Department of Health has issued fish consumption advisories for these lakes and rivers indicating that it may not be safe to eat fish from them more than once a week or once a month. If contaminated with mercury, it causes contamination of soil. Over the years, I have collected a whole bunch of water based mercury waste. As of December 30, 2018, however, only two facilities have submitted plans to the MPCA for how they will meet this goal (Mesabi Metallics Co LLC and Northshore Mining Company in Silver Bay). The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) estimates that 40% comes from the continental U.S., southern Canada, and Mexico, 30% comes from other parts of the world, and 30% is due to volcanoes and other natural sources. You may be surprised to learn that artisanal and small-scale gold mining is the largest source of human-caused mercury emissions worldwide. Annual geometric mean concentrations measured at more than 100 stations across Canada declined steadily from 0.74 µg/m3 … Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Mercury pollution of inland waters is a global problem. Also available via Internet at the USGS web site. Address as of 10/26/04: http://water.usgs.gov/pubs/sir/2004/5084/pdf/sir20 045084.pdf; current access available via PURL. ( Log Out / Gaseous elemental mercury (Hg0) enters the ocean through air-water exchange. She is also mom to an exceedingly active eight-year old boy. Emissions of both elemental or inorganic mercury can occur from coal-fired power plants, burning of municipal and medical waste, and from factories that use mercury. 1.3 Major uses and sources in drinking-water Naturally occurring mercury has been widely distributed by natural processes such as volcanic activity. Achetez neuf ou d'occasion Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. 1997), sources of mercury emissions were placed in three categories: natural, anthropogenic, and re-emitted sour-ces. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. https://www.h2odistributors.com/pages/contaminants/contaminant- When released into the environment, it accumulates in water laid sediments where it converts into toxic methylmercury and enters the food chain. This is because mercury emissions generally disperse widely in the atmosphere before being deposited to the earth's surface. Abstract Concerns about mercury (Hg) contamination in Lake Whatcom, Washington, were raised in the late 1990s after a watershed protection survey reported elevated concentrations of Hg in smallmouth bass. Mineralization associated with igneous activity has produced volcanic-hosted massive sulfide deposits, in which the ore mineral cinnabar forms (some mined since the third century B.C. Learn more about the Minnesota mercury reduction plan at www.pca.state.mn.us/water/statewide-mercury-reduction-plan. Sources of Mercury in Sediments, Water, and Fish of the Lakes of Whatcom County, Washington. You can help to protect Minnesota’s lakes and rivers from mercury contamination by making a few simple changes around your home: The Washington County Environmental Center is located at 4039 Cottage Grove Drive in Woodbury. Several other states have achieved mercury reductions as well.