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05/02/2009: "USGS study: Asian mercury pollution contaminates American seafood"

A new U.S Geological Survey study released today documents how mercury emissions from human sources across the world, and particularly from Asia, make their way into the North Pacific Ocean contaminating tuna and other seafood.

"This unprecedented USGS study is critically important to the health and safety of the American people and our wildlife because it helps us understand the relationship between atmospheric emissions of mercury and concentrations of mercury in marine fish", said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar .

"Mercury researchers typically look skyward to find a mercury source from the atmosphere due to emissions from land-based combustion facilities", said USGS scientist and study coauthor David Krabbenhoft. "In this study, however, the pathway of the mercury was a little different. Instead, it appears the recent mercury enrichment of the sampled Pacific Ocean waters is caused by emissions originating from fallout near the Asian coast. The mercury-enriched waters then enter a long range eastward transport by large ocean circulation currents".

[ The Chinese must stop the mercury pollution. It's just possible that they might be able to understand this idea - after all didn't Lynn say their IQ was higher than that of Europeans? ]

http://www.examiner.com/x-1109-Dallas-Environmental-Policy-Examiner~y2009m5d1-USGS-study-Asian-mercury-pollution-contaminates-American-seafood