Mercury Pollution

Mercury particles released into the air fall into these waterways and quickly
enter aquatic food chains.

 First, mercury attaches to sediments (fragments of organic or inorganic

material that settle to the bottom of the body of water).
 Second, bacteria change the mercury into methyl mercury, a highly toxic
substance.
 Third, Phytoplanktons feed on the organic matter in sediments and absorb the
methyl mercury.
 Fourth, fish then eat the mercury contaminated phytoplankton; the larger
fish and the longer it lives, the more concentrated the methyl mercury in its
system becomes.
Methylation

is the conversion of mercury in sediments to methyl mercury by sulphate

reducing bacteria.

While this methylation is a natural process, the industrial discharge of mercury

has greatly accelerated the process beyond what the ecosystem is able to absorb
safely.

This methylation not only impacts aquatic species , but also harms humans and
other land-based wildlife.
 Interconnectivity

 One of the great wonders of the Earth

 It gives us the range and diversity of wildlife that we all enjoy and it also
allowed life on the planet to endure through CATACLYSMIC events , such as
asteroids impacts and the ice ages.
 It makes our ecosystems so vulnerable.
MERCURY POLLUTION

 Is unfortunately one of many examples of an environmental impact far

removed from the source of the pollution; understanding the process by
which the pollution spreads up the food chain is one of many steps to
ameliorate the impact of such pollution.