John Dias Gateway Essay: Impact of Methylmercury on the Environment 3/10/2022

Impact of Methylmercury on the Environment

John Dias

ME 113 Thermodynamics

3/10/22
John Dias Gateway Essay: Impact of Methylmercury on the Environment 3/10/2022

Introduction:

Mercury, or “Hg” is a naturally occurring element that can be mined from natural deposits in the earth’s

crust. Elemental mercury is a heavy metal that has an extremely low melting point. This important

property makes it unique since at average temperature and pressure (298.15 K, and 100kPa), it exists as

a liquid. This special property has allowed humans to harness it for practical applications like recording

temperatures (ex. standard glass thermometer), recording pressure (barometers), panning for gold,

building sensors, switches, light bulbs. Historians estimate that over 350,000 tons of mercury has been

mined over the last 4000 years, medicinal applications have been recorded dating back to ancient

Chinese dynasties. So where is the problem with using mercury to build practical devices that improve

the quality of our lives? The answer to that question has to do with the effect of harmful derivative

compounds formed from the interaction of elemental mercury and the natural world around it.

As a byproduct of producing energy by burning coal and oil, humans release elemental mercury into the

atmosphere, the mercury becomes airborne and it ends up in our oceans, fresh water sources, and

watersheds. Mercury is highly toxic to humans, animals, and natural ecosystems because when it

combines with naturally occurring bio-organisms, it produces Methylmercury or “MeHg”, a highly toxic

compound. The process for extracting it from the natural environment is extremely difficult because

mercury contents compound and become highly prevalent in organisms at the top of the food chain. So,

before the next time you splurge on a Tuna roll dinner, you better consider where your fish was sourced

from (hopefully not a water source contaminated by mercury)!

John Dias Gateway Essay: Impact of Methylmercury on the Environment 3/10/2022

Figure 1. How mercury ends up in our natural ecosystems as a product of industrial processes

To mitigate the harmful effects of Methylmercury on our planet, it is important we take it upon

ourselves as responsible global citizens to track and reduce the amount of mercury produced as a by

product of the energy we rely on every day. It is also important to identify and understand how to

responsibly dispose of mercury containing products that we consume so that they do not end up

polluting our natural environment.

John Dias Gateway Essay: Impact of Methylmercury on the Environment 3/10/2022

Current scientific views on the subject:

Methylmercury is extremely dangerous because of its ability to accumulate and compound in complex

food chains. Methylmercury is absorbed at a high rate by predatory fish because of the strong bonds

formed with tissues and even stronger bonds to natural proteins. Biomagnification of methylmercury

results in humans becoming sick due to the progressive build up effect as smaller fish and organisms

become consumed by predators. (Source, UNEP Global assessment report, Chapter 5 paragraph 67-70)

Health experts warn that because mercury is a neurotoxin, its effect can be extremely severe, causing

permanent mental disabilities, harm to the reproductive system, and even death. Accumulation of

methylmercury in the body commonly occurs from people eating contaminated sources of predatory

fish such as tuna or shark. The neurotoxin causes tremors and neuromuscular changes since the

chemical affects the bodies central nervous system. (From the EPA’s general report “effect of mercury

poisoning”

Because mercury is naturally occurring in our environment, coal production releases mercury into our

atmosphere, the US has a large amount of coal production on the east coast where about 44% of the

pollutants are tracked using methods for scientific data collection like the EPA’s Toxic’s Release

Inventory (TRI)
John Dias Gateway Essay: Impact of Methylmercury on the Environment 3/10/2022

Figure 1b. Industrial pollutants

From the first baseline tests conducted in 1990, we are aware that the majority of releases come from

industrial applications. For this reason, scientists and politicians have collaborated very closely to place

stringent restrictions on industries. (Source US EPA, TRI report 2014)

Personal Perspective:

The effect of mercury pollution poses a serious threat to humanity. Developing awareness of the issue

before it is too late it incredibly important to avoiding the loss of life and reproductive capabilities for

humans, aquatic life, and all organisms that rely on fish/water sources. In my mind, I imagine the

process of releasing mercury into the atmosphere as being a highly irreversible process “having high

entropy” if you would. Since the process of extracting mercury from the environment takes an incredibly

amount of effort and dedication, this solution to fixing a polluted environment seems it would take a

disproportionately large amount of work to reverse the harm done. The impact of this avoidable
John Dias Gateway Essay: Impact of Methylmercury on the Environment 3/10/2022

exposure to toxic chemicals would create complications for our health, the stability of our food sources,

and our recreational spaces.

Effect on the world:

Figure 4. Recorded mercury pollution levels across the globe

Pollution from coal production affects countries all over the world, with some of the worst levels seen in

east Asia. This is due to the widespread use of coal as the main energy source for two of the world’s

largest countries, India, and China. The energy production leads to a disproportionate amount of harm

done to indigenous communities in smaller countries (such as those in the south pacific). As responsible

global citizens, it is important to hold governments and industries accountable for the harm they do to

the environment. Our fisheries, oceans, and marshlands have no borders or boundaries. The U.S.

continues to lead by example to mitigate the harm done by releasing mercury through extensive

government data collection programs created by the EPA. Diplomatic collaboration facilitated by

institutions like the UN provides a clear example for how the exchange of scientific data aimed at
John Dias Gateway Essay: Impact of Methylmercury on the Environment 3/10/2022

reducing mercury levels can improve the quality of life for all people. On top of humanitarian benefits,

according to the National Science Foundation,

“In a new study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, MIT

researchers report that global action on reducing mercury emissions will lead to twice the economic

benefits for the U.S., compared with domestic action, by 2050. However, those in the U.S. who consume

locally caught freshwater fish, rather than seafood from the global market, will benefit more from

domestic rather than international mercury regulations.”

It is well within our best interest to consider helping global communities log and regulate the mercury

emissions. A decrease in global mercury emissions will allow for countries to stay healthy to prosper.

Current scientific methods for mitigating the harmful effects of mercury on communities:

One proven method for tracking and mitigating the amount of mercury release into the atmosphere is

through yearly Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) reports generated by businesses, mandated by the

environmental protection agency (EPA). This resource can be used to implement policy changes that

provide meaningful, qualitative data for how industrial plants/consumer goods pollute our environment.

According to the EPA, the effect of mercury compounding has decreased by 64% based on nationwide

studies conducted in the early 90’s. The report allows local governments to keep a tab on the yearly

business/industry release of chemical contaminants to the surrounding communities. The web-based

TRI “Toxics Tracker” contains public information on how facilities manage, produce, and release harmful

chemicals into water supplies and the atmosphere. In San Jose, California, the largest “release” of toxic

chemicals comes from Tesla Motor Companies EV vehicle production plant.

John Dias Gateway Essay: Impact of Methylmercury on the Environment 3/10/2022

Figure 2 and 3. An example of their chemical release report filed in 2020

John Dias Gateway Essay: Impact of Methylmercury on the Environment 3/10/2022

Personal Recommendation/Conclusion:

It is critical that we push ourselves to recognize and change, one, how we dispose of mercury containing

products, and two, where our energy comes from. Turning to local resources like the Santa Clara County

Household Hazardous disposal facility can ensure that our local landfills don’t send mercury

contaminants into our local wetlands.

Figure. Quick, easy, and FREE hazardous waste dropoff center located at

1555 Berger Dr Suite #300, San Jose, CA 95112

For awareness of our personal energy use, using renewable sources like solar and wind power to power

our homes and businesses can lead to a lasting impact.

However, because power plants (producing over 47% of the global emissions) are an extremely

important part of our daily life, we cannot simply stop production to mitigate effects of mercury buildup.

Changes must be done over time, and the changes should be monitored by programs such as the EPA’s

TRI program to ensure alternatives do not pose a greater risk to the health of our planet.
John Dias Gateway Essay: Impact of Methylmercury on the Environment 3/10/2022

Resources Accessed:

https://www.epa.gov/mercury/basic-information-about-mercury

https://www.epa.gov/toxics-release-inventory-tri-program

https://cfpub.epa.gov/roe/indicator.cfm?i=14

http://www.chem.unep.ch/mercury/Report/Summary%20of%20the%20report.htm#Chapter5