Disclaimer & Copyright Notices; Optimized for the MS Internet Explorer

Select stressors/pollutants

Soil & Water Conservation Society of Metro Halifax (SWCSMH)

Modified: February 13, 2016                              Limnology


Contents:



[lab icon]

Mercury


"Mercury is the most common contaminant in fish in the USA and Canada. 42 states have advisories against fish consumption due to high mercury levels, and unacceptable fish mercury concentrations exist in all Canadian provinces and the Northwest Territories, including remote "pristine" lakes. 97% of closures to fishing in Ontario are due to mercury contamination. Mercury is a neurotoxin. There is a particular concern for prenatal life and infants, for whom safe levels of mercury exposure are lower than in adults. Concern also exists regarding the toxic effects of mercury on reproduction, behavior and survival in fish-consuming birds and marine mammals."
Experiment to assess atmospheric loading in Canada and the USA (METAALICUS), ELA-DFO- "A critical uncertainty is whether a reduction in atmospheric mercury emissions will reduce mercury concentrations in fish. It is important to answer this question now because controls on industrial emissions of mercury have been proposed that will cost billions of dollars per year if implemented, yet the effectiveness of these controls is unknown."



Miscellaneous pollutants


Limnology                          Soil & Water Conservation Society of Metro Halifax (SWCSMH) Master Homepage


We salute the Chebucto Community Net (CCN) of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada for hosting our web site, and we applaud its volunteers for their devotion in making `CCN' the best community net in the world



Google