Coal’s Toxic Legacy, Mercury Poisons the Arctic January 7, 2015

One of the cruel ironies of the fossil fuel addiction is that the most severe impacts of coal and oil burning land on those who are least responsible for fuel consumption.

Its one of the factors that makes it so easy and cost free for climate denying politicians in the US and elsewhere to operate.

Mercury has long been known as a dangerous environmental contaminant, but many don’t know that it comes in large part from burning coal and oil, and an awful lot of it is ending up in the supposedly pristine Arctic. This video from the Scandinavian Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) covers the issue.

AMAP:

Studies, such as the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) 2011 Assessment of Mercury in the Arctic, has shown that toxic mercury levels found in Arctic wildlife is high above natural levels, and the levels are rising at a disturbing rate. Mercury is a highly toxic element, that is present in liquid form at standard temperatures. The element is absorbed and accumulated in the food chain, causing problems for top-level predators and humans. Among the symptoms for mercury poisoning is birth defects and neurological damage. Although mercury is present in our environment, most of the rising levels are attributed to mining and burning of coal and oil. Pollution is occurring world-wide and transported by winds and ocean currents to the Arctic.