Mercury and periphyton in the south Florida ecosystem

Background

Advisories warning against the eating of game fish due to high concentrations (0.5 to 1.5 parts per million) of mercury are common in areas of Florida. When concentrations of mercury in fish are reported, it is primarily the compound methylmercury (MeHg), a neurotoxin, that is assumed present. MeHg has caused neurological damage in people in Japan and Iraq who ate food tainted with mercury. The goal of this project is to answer the question, "How does mercury produced in the aquatic environment of south Florida enter the food chain and become part of the body burden of animals such as game fish"?

This project is part of the South Florida Ecosystems Program. As part of the mercury studies in the Florida Everglades element, the findings of this project will contribute to an understanding of the processes that cause mercury bioaccumulation.