How Does Mercury Toxicity Occur?
Mercury is an element found naturally in the environment. It primarily gets into our food supply as a byproduct of industrial pollution. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), major sources of mercury emissions include coal-burning power plants, municipal waste combustors, medical waste incinerators and hazardous waste combustors. Mercury emissions from these and other sources are transported through the air and eventually deposit on water and land, where humans, wildlife and fish are exposed. Mercury can also directly contaminate land and water through industrial wastewater runoff. As mercury accumulates in streams and oceans, it accumulates in fish and animal tissue in its most toxic form, methylmercury. Fish absorb methylmercury as they feed in contaminated waters. The risks from mercury in fish and shellfish depend on the amount of fish and shellfish eaten and the levels of mercury in the fish and shellfish. Larger fish that have lived a long time have the highest
