Study finds mercury-tainted fish in Glacier's Lake McDonald

[Ptah]

WEST GLACIER – A “first-of-its-kind” study released last week discovered mercury in fish
in some of the most remote and pristine lakes and streams in national parks across the
western United States and Alaska – but it wasn’t a surprise to Glacier National Park
fisheries biologist Chris Downs.

Glacier is updating information for a brochure it already puts out regarding guidelines
for fish consumption from waters inside the park because of contaminants such as mercury,
which is harmful to both human and wildlife health.

“The national study continues to demonstrate that contaminants are reaching places we think
of as isolated or protected,” Downs said. “Because of airborne transport, it’s a global issue.”

National parks can serve as something of a canary in a coal mine, given their protected status
and the way they are managed, when it comes to mercury levels, Downs suggested.

http://missoulian.com/news/local/study-finds-mercury-tainted-fish-in-glacier-s-lake-mcdonald/article_3417c98e-c809-11e3-8453-001a4bcf887a.html

[packman]

1. How does it get there?

Mercury is heavy and I can see it percolating in the aqua-filters near industrial areas. However, how does it get to those high elevation lakes? Coal emissions contain mercury, but still---?

[Ptah]

2. From the linked article:

Mercury concentrations in fish are of particular concern to children, and to women
of child-bearing age. Mercury is distributed on a global scale from natural sources,
such as volcanic eruptions, and human sources, such as burning fossil fuels in power plants.
It is also distributed on local scales as a result of mining activities.

The human-caused mercury distribution has increased the levels of atmospheric mercury
between three and five times in the past 150 years, according to the report.

[hedgehog]

3. What goes around, comes around?

Fish here in New York State are contaminated with mercury, largely because of coal burning power plants in other states:

http://www.nrdc.org/air/files/poisoning-the-great-lakes.pdf

Montana is one of the states where coal is mined:

http://montanacoalcouncil.com/production_employment.html

[Ptah]

4. A great picture from The Flathead Beacon:

http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/