The ocean "breathes" mercury from the atmosphere

Rain-borne mercury, not gaseous mercury

Man's main exposure to mercury, a pollutant gas emitted when coal is burned, comes from eating fish, and can have serious health consequences. Until now, researchers thought that the mercury in the ocean came mainly from rainfall. However, this study shows that rainwater is in fact responsible for only around 50% of this form of pollution. The work carried out by an international team involving scientists from the Mediterranean Institute of Oceanology shows that the remainder of the pollution corresponds to the direct absorption of gaseous mercury by the ocean. It is also suggested that the oceans receive less atmospheric mercury than previously estimated. But this does not mean that fish contamination is decreasing...