January 8th, 2009
As the mercury rises so does the level of mercury in the soil
Increased greenhouse gases will not only increase the earth’s temperature. They will apparently bring us more mercury in the soil and thus the plants and animals we eat. An experiment done by the Oak Ridge National Lab found increased CO2 in the atmosphere also increase the level of mercury in the soil.
Courtesy Oak Ridge National Lab. Picture shows CO2 emitters in a test area surrounded by forest. The soil affected by higher CO2 levels also traps higher levels of mercury. Mercury’s not good for warm blooded animals. Even the EPA bluntly calls mercury toxic.
As we are seeing in the Tennessee coal ash snafu, coal burning results in waste with mercury content. Both the gases and the ash. Here’s some info from EPA on how to get mercury out of coal plant gaseous emissions. In the soil, mercury can be leach into the water table. It doesn’t alter the taste of our drinking water.
A newsman since 1969, Harry Fuller has worked for CBS, ABC, CNBC Europe, CNET and was founding news director at TechTV. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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