Overview

• The analysis reveals a jump from about 390 tons of riverine mercury export in 1850 to nearly 1,000 tons annually today.
• Industrial processes, metal mining, small-scale gold extraction and coal combustion are identified as the chief contributors to rising mercury runoff.
• The largest increases occur in South Asia, Southeast Asia, North America and South America, and permafrost thaw is elevating mercury levels in rivers feeding the Arctic Ocean.
• The Amazon basin now contributes over 200 tons of mercury each year, with roughly three-quarters linked to human activities and land clearing.
• Mercury’s potent neurotoxicity poses serious threats to unborn children, prompting US health authorities to advise pregnant women to avoid certain fish.