Basic HTML Version
June
1971
of pollution going hand-in-hand to
mul tiply the deadly effects. Through a
process called "organic complexing,"
mercury released into the waterways is
converted to highly toxic methyl–
mercury.
Once thought to sink harmlessly to
the bottom of streams and lakes, mer–
cury has turned up to be a villain in
disguise. lt has emerged as pollution's
front-line killer. And here too, an
understanding of the natural proccsses
in the ecosystem should have warned us
long ago
not
to dump mercury into our
air and waterways.
According to sorne researchers, a
particular danger arises where mercury
is releascd in waters already laden with
organic matter- a common occurrence
in most waterways in which
lrettted or
''atu sewage
is also released.
In such an environment a process
called "organic complexing'' occurs.
Mercury is chemically altered to highly
toxic methyl mercury and is introduced
into thc chain of a<¡uatic life. Bacteria
ingest the mercury. Algae eat the
bacteria. The algae are then eaten by
plankton, which are fed upon by larger
plankton. These in tuco are eaten by
small fish, which are the natural food of
Jarger fish. The 6sh, tben, are caten by
man, at the top of the food chain. At
each step up the food chain, mercury is
concentrated,
so that the top of the
pyramid contains the greatest amounts
of mercury.
"Tainted T una" Scare
The tuna scare is serious, but a mere
drop in the bucket of potential pollu–
tion from mercury in the years ahead.
Only a small percentage of the total
tuna sold in the United States had to be
banned for food. Other fish species
were also affected.
Which species will be next?
Feathers of peregrine falcons and
eagle owls in Sweden tested for mercury
in 1966 contained 16 to 26 times tbe
mercury in tbeir feathers as those taken
before
1940.
Muscum specimens showed
relativcly low amounts of mercury.
It
was about 1940 that mercurial fungicides
were introduced into Sweden as a seed
preservativc in agriculture. The obvious
conclusion is that predatory birds taken
Th~
PLAIN TRUTH
in subse<¡uent years had eaten smaller
life forms which had caten seeds and
grain contaminated with mercury.
Where Will l t Go?
As more studies are made, more mer–
cury will be found. Chances are, your
"clickless" electric light switches are
made with mercury as a conductor.
Eventually they wear out too, and are
disposed of. Where will these and thc
other products consuming an estimatcd
3000
tons of mercury annually in the
United States go?
Perhaps sorne will contaminate whales
in the Hudson Bay. Here, in
1970,
whale meat was seizcd by the Canadian
government because of high mercury
levels.
Or - sorne of this mercury may turn
up in pheasants shot in California and
27
article published
10
the authorita–
tive Swedish journal
Oikos,
warned,
"Methyl-mercury appears to represent
one of the
most noxious mermry com–
pounds contaminating om· enviromne11t."
Warnings Unheeded?
This, and earlier warnings from the
Japanese mercury disasters should have
been a cry of
ALARM
to Americans,
Canadians and other nations to "clean
up" or suffer possible dire consequences!
We are now beginning to feel the
effects of past technological mistakes.
We did not heed the earlier warnings.
Now, we live with the scare of getting
mercury poisoning from contaminated
tuna and other tish.
Will the
present
scare shock govern–
ments, industry, and prívate citizens to
proper action? The present indication is
Arthur
Ridcenby - life.T;me
lnc.
Dr. Peter Lerke, an inspector with the National Canners Association, drills
into yellowfin tuna for core sample to be used in mercury analysis.
British Columbia, or seals living near
thc Pribilof Jslands, or ducks on thcir
annual migration through North Dakota,
or sport fish
f
rom streams and lakes in
33
states - all of which have reported
high mercury levels in
1970.
Over three years ago, Swedish scien–
tists warned us of continued mercury
contamination. In February,
1967,
an
that efforts are being made to
mt doum
the amounts of mercury discharged into
the cnvironrnent by the chcmical indus–
try. Yet, industry is not to
be
singled
out as the
only
chief offender. Coal·
and oi l-burning utility plants may re–
tease far greater amounts of mercury,
which occurs naturally in fossil fuels.
And nothing short of shutting clown