1. Mercury in the Water
A Global Problem

2. What is Mercury?
A liquid element.
A potent neurotoxin

3. How do you Get exposed to Hg?
Inhaling vaporized elemental Hg
Eating fish contaminated with methyl mercury (CH3Hg).

4. Absorbed in tissues of fish, birds and people.
What is Methyl Mercury?
Highly toxic form.
Absorbed in tissues of fish, birds and people.

5. Hg is Fat Soluble: stored in fat; remains in body for a long time.

6. Where is Hg in Your Home?

7. What are the Natural Sources of Hg?
Ocean Volatization

9. What are Human Sources of Hg?
Waste Incineration
Electric arc furnaces (Recyling)

10. How does Hg Get Into the H2O?
Hg travels for miles in air  rain deposits it on land/ocean.
Bacteria take Hg+2  to methyl mercury (CH3Hg).

11. What is Biomagnification/ Bioaccumulation?
Increase in concentration of fat soluble chems in orgs at higher levels of the food chain/web.

12. Bioaccumulation Video Clip

13. Who’s at Risk?

14. What Type of Fish Have A Lot of Hg?
At Risk
What Type of Fish Have A Lot of Hg?
Swordfish
Shark
King Mackerel

15. What Does Hg Do to Your Body?
Dyslexia, Impotence/ menstrual probs

16. How do We Reduce Exposure to Hg?
Lower amount of emissions of Hg from coal burning plants.
Tax each unit of Hg emitted by coal burning plants and incinerators.

17. Prevention
Remove Hg from coal before it is burned  physical density separation (coal washing).
Convert coal to a liquid or gaseous fuel (coal gasification).
Phase out coal burning  natural gas, hydroelectricity
Phase out incinerators
Phase out use of Hg in electrical switches.
Ban use of Hg in dry cell batteries.

18. Requires cautionary labels on household products
What is FHSA?
Requires cautionary labels on household products

19. Polychlorinated biphenyls Insoluble in water, soluble in fats..
PCB’s
Polychlorinated biphenyls
Insoluble in water, soluble in fats..

20. Used as a dielectric field in transformers and capacitors.

21. Bioaccumulates, just like Hg or Pb
Small penises anyone?
Gastric disorders, liver and kidney damage, birth defects, skin lesions.

22. Lead
Heavy metal used in old pipes, “leaded gas”, and old paint.

24. Lead Neurotoxin that causes learning and behavioral disorders
Acute vs chronic poisoning
Symptoms: loss of apetite, lethargy, memory loss, insomnia, hearing loss

25. dense metaphyseal bands on distal femurs, proximal tibias and proximal fibulas