Heroin and Cornflakes

Currently posted on Ryerson university, Toronto, web news site (1) , is a report by researcher Julia Lu which raises questions of great importance in regards to human health.

Toronto

The report describes how Dr. Lu and her research team placed specialized air monitoring  equipment on top of a three-storied building on Ryerson’s campus in downtown Toronto.

Throughout the year they simultaneously measured three types of Mercury: atmospheric gaseous elemental Mercury (GEM), reactive gaseous Mercury (RGM) and Mercury associated with particles with sizes less than 2.5 micrometers.

Results showed that higher levels of atmospheric Mercury exist in urban areas when compared to rural regions; levels were lower in the winter; summer is the peak season for Mercury levels, with highest concentrations of GEM being reached in June.

A concern, according to Dr. Lu, because GEM stays in the atmosphere for longer and travels further than its chemical counterparts.  The result, she believes, is a global-scale problem.

“Sometimes the spikes were as high as what you would find near point sources of Mercury,” says Dr. Lu, citing coal-powered and metal-processing plants as examples. “We need to further our understanding of how cities contribute to the Mercury problem.

So what is the problem? Where is the Mercury coming from and why? Should we be concerned?

click on image for google map

First, lets look at the geography of Toronto.

Toronto is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. With over 2.5 million residents, it is the fifth most populous municipality in North America.

Toronto is at the heart of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), and is part of a densely populated region in Southern Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe, which is home to 8.1 million residents and has approximately 25% of Canada’s population(2)

Further south of the city lies its illustrious neighbors, the nine states that comprise North East USA, with flight time between New York and Toronto just over 1 hour.

The entire population of the northeastern United States is estimated at 54,680,626, while the entire population of Canada is estimated at 33,504,700 (3)

What about the climate around Toronto?

Toronto winters sometimes feature short cold snaps where maximum temperatures remain below −10 °C (14 °F), often made to feel colder by wind chill, mixed with ice and rain.  Accumulating snow mixed with ice and rain can fall anytime from November until mid-April.

However, mild stretches with temperatures in the 5 to 12 °C (40 to 54 °F) range and infrequently higher, also occur in most winters melting any accumulated snow.

Summer in Toronto is characterized by long stretches of humid weather, usually in the range from 23 °C (73 °F) to 31 °C (88 °F).  Daytime temperatures occasionally surpass 35 °C (95 °F) accompanied by high humidity.  Spring and Autumn are transitional seasons with generally mild or cool temperatures with alternating dry and wet periods.(4)

Precipitation is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year, but summer is usually the wettest season, the bulk falling during thunderstorms.(5)

What about Mercury?

Mercury occurs naturally in the environment as mercuric sulfide, from the degassing of the earth’s crust through volcanic gases and the weathering of rock in mountains(6)

Mercury is also a worldwide pollutant globally dispersed in the environment by large-scale atmospheric circulation.(7)

The various natural and anthropogenic sources emit Mercury to the atmosphere, either as gaseous elemental Mercury (GEM; Hg0) or as divalent Mercury.

Divalent species are typically measured in two forms: reactive gaseous Mercury (RGM), defined operationally as any gaseous Mercury compounds that adsorb onto KCl (potassium chloride) denuders, and particulate-bound Mercury (HgP ) which are trapped by quartz-fiber filters.(8)

HgP is limited to the lifetime of particles which is typically less than 10 days.  GEM has low solubility in water and estimates of its longer lifetime range from 0.5 to 2 years (9)

Contrarily RGM is water-soluble, and can be rapidly deposited to surfaces when sequestered by rain or cloud drops.

Recent aircraft surveillance over the Pacific has indicated a strong depletion of GEM in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere, which is hypothesized to be due to efficient oxidation and transformation of GEM to RGM and Hgp.  (10)

The stratosphere extends from approximately10-12 km to around 50 km above the Earth’s surface.(11)

stratospheric circulation

The troposphere is the layer closest to the Earth’s and is where most weather occurs.

Nearly 99 percent of atmospheric water vapor is contained within this layer.

The tropopause is the boundary region between the troposphere and the stratosphere.

Strongly convective tropospheric storms transport water vapor up across the tropopause.  There are breaks in the tropopause near jet stream westerlies allowing interchange of stratospheric and tropospheric air.(12)

Above the subtropical highs in the Northern Hemisphere, and below the subtropical highs in the Southern Hemisphere, winds blow from the West towards the East.

These winds are called westerly winds, after the direction from which they come.

So what is the problem with Mercury?

The following video provides evidence of the degenerative effect Mercury can have on the central nervous system.

How does Mercury get to the brain?

Mercury vapor can be inhaled whereby it subsequently enters the blood stream and is transported to the brain.

Most commonly it is through ingestion – not consumed directly but through Mercury entering the food chain initiated via an organic process resulting in Methyl mercury.

Methyl mercury is produced in mid-depth waters by processes linked to the ‘ocean rain’.(13)

Algae, which is produced in sunlit waters near the surface, die quickly and ‘rain’ downward to greater water depths.

At depth, the settling algae is decomposed by bacteria and the interaction of this decomposition process in the presence of Mercury results in the formation of methyl mercury.

In a given water body, the highest concentrations of methyl mercury are generally found in large fish that eat other fish.  The concentrations of  methyl mercury in large fish can be over a million-fold larger than in the surrounding water.

In America, scientists found Mercury contamination in every fish sampled in 291 streams across the country according to a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey.(14)

More than two-thirds of the fish exceeded the U.S. EPA level of concern for fish-eating mammals, the study reports.

However, a lack of data on changes in methyl mercury levels in ocean fish, and on natural or anthropogenic origins of the compound led to a California court decision in March 2009 that allowed tuna-canning companies to avoid labeling methyl mercury levels in their fish products.(15)

When fish or other foods contaminated with methyl mercury are consumed, approximately 95% of the methyl mercury is absorbed through the stomach and intestinal tract, then transferred to the blood stream and distributed throughout the body.(16)

Once in the body, Mercury can stay there for weeks or even months.  Once it has reached the brain it is readily converted to an inorganic form and remains there for a long time.(17)

Is there an abundance of  Mercury in the oceans and other waters?

Data is varied on this issue.

Elsie Sunderland of Harvard University says the ocean may only now be responding to higher Mercury loads from past atmospheric deposition.(18)

It also found, through water sampling, that Mercury levels in 2006 were approximately 30% higher than those measured in the mid-1990’s.

Sunderland and her researchers also believe much of the Mercury entering the North Pacific comes from the atmosphere and predict an additional 50% increase in Mercury in the Pacific by 2050 if emission rates continue as projected.(19)

In the United States, about 40 percent of all human exposure to Mercury is from tuna harvested in the Pacific Ocean, according to Elsie Sunderland

How much Mercury are people being exposed to?

Statistics Canada, in partnership with Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada, collected data from approximately 5,000 Canadians aged 6 to 79 at 15 sites across Canada from March, 2007 to March, 2009.(1)

These sites have been allocated by region in proportion to their populations: Atlantic (1), Quebec (4), Ontario (6), Prairies (2) and British Columbia (2).

Preliminary, CHMS results show that the geometric mean blood mercury level of Canadians aged 6 to 79 is 0.76µg/L (Table 3), with approximately 90% having concentrations above the limit of detection of 0.10µg/L.

However, fewer than 1% of Canadians aged 20 to 79 have total mercury concentrations above the current Health Canada blood guidance value of 20 µg/L(20)

In America, a new analysis of government data on more than 6,000 American women indicates that deposition of Mercury within the human population increases with age. (21)

The overall population average of blood inorganic Mercury concentration also increased significantly from 1999-2006.

Dan R. Laks, M.S., a neuroscience researcher at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA says, “My findings also suggest a rise in risks for disease associated with Mercury over time.”

So who is most at risk?

Outbreaks of methyl mercury poisoning have made it clear that adults, children, and developing fetuses are at risk from dietary exposure to methyl mercury.

During these poisoning outbreaks some mothers with no symptoms of nervous system damage gave birth to infants with severe disabilities and it became clear that the developing nervous system of the fetus may be more vulnerable to methyl mercury than is the adult nervous system.

An analysis of NHANES data by U.S. Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) researchers estimated that, as a result of chronic mercury exposure, between 300,000 and 600,000 American children were born with elevated risks of neural-developmental disorders between 1999 and 2000.(22)

Mothers who are exposed to methyl mercury and breast-feed their babies may also expose their infant children through their milk.  (23)

Body size is also critical in toxic poisonings.  For example, an adult would have to drink 10 cans of coca cola to have the same concentration levels of caffeine in their body as a small child.  Thus a contaminated fish will have a more powerful effect on a child than an adult.

What type of neural degenerative diseases affect various age groups throughout Canada?

The main ones are:

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), a progressive and fatal brain disease, is the fourth leading cause of death in Canada. Alzheimer’s destroys brain cells, causing problems with memory, thinking and behavior.  Studies of AD patients in comparison to controls suggest a decisive role for inorganic Mercury in the etiology of AD.(00)

• Every year approximately 10,000 Canadians die from Alzheimer’s

• Approximately 1 in 100 Canadians suffer from Alzheimer’s disease

• There are approximately 22,000 people in Metro Toronto with Alzheimer’s

(*source)

Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) belongs to a group of conditions called motor system disorders. The four primary symptoms of PD are tremor, or trembling in hands, arms, legs, jaw, and face; rigidity, or stiffness of the limbs and trunk; bradykinesia, or slowness of movement; and postural instability, or impaired balance and coordination.

Researchers have found that there is a clear monotonic dose-response association between blood Mercury levels and Parkinson’s Disease.(0)

• 30% of all Parkinson’s patients are under the age of 50

• 20% of all Parkinson’s patients are under the age of 40

• Approximately 80,000 to 100,000 Canadians are suffering.
• *Source)

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) While it is most often diagnosed in young adults, aged 15 to 40, children, some as young as two years old can be affected.

• More than 50,000 Canadians have Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

• Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is the most common neurological disease among young Canadians

• Canadians have one of the highest rates of MS in the world

• Women are twice as likely to develop MS as men

Autism

Autism is now recognized as the most common neurological disorder affecting children and one of the most common developmental disabilities:

• Most recent epidemiological studies show that the prevalence has increased from 40 to 60 per 10,000 which represents approximately 190,000 Canadians
• Approximately one in 165 children have an ASD
• Number of cases is increasing worldwide

In 2000, an analysis by Sally Bernard and co established through review of medical literature and U.S. government data that:

(i) many and perhaps most cases of idiopathic autism, in which an extended period of developmental normalcy is followed by an emergence of symptoms, are induced by early exposure to Mercury;

(ii) that this type of autism represents a unique form of Mercury poisoning .(24)

Apart from natural sources, where is Mercury in our environment coming from and why is it used?

The United States alone exported nearly 498 tons of Mercury in 2007, up from 378 tons in 2006.  It was mostly sent to Canada, Suriname, Hong Kong and Mexico, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.(25)

Mercury has desirable properties such as the ability to alloy with most metals; liquidity at room temperature; electrical conductivity; and the ease of vaporizing and freezing, making Mercury an important industrial metal.

As a result, Mercury has over 3,000 industrial applications, including gold-mining, electrical equipment including fluorescent lighting, chloralkali, paint, dentistry and cement. (26)

Fluorescent light bulbs are actively promoted by the Canadian government department, Natural Resources Canada (NRCan).(27)

It is one of the largest science-based departments in the Government of Canada, specializing in the sustainable development and use of natural resources – energy, minerals and metals, forests – and earth sciences.  Its minister is Lisa Raitt who, as a lawyer, is specialized in the areas of intellectual property and litigation.

The reason for promoting Compact fluorescent light bulbs, or CFLs, is that they use only one quarter of the energy of standard incandescent bulbs.  A 15-watt CFL produces the same high-quality light as a typical 60-watt incandescent bulb and saves 45 watts for every hour you leave the light on.

However, problems occur when they are broken during disposal.

The basic concept behind a fluorescent lamp is that a flow of electrical current occurs between two metal conductors placed in a glass tube, a process also known as arcing.

The tube contains a small bit of Mercury and an inert gas, typically argon, kept under very low pressure.

That current flow passes through the gases in the tube (argon and a small amount of Mercury in a gaseous phase) and excites the atoms of gas.

The excited atoms emit photons, some of which are vibrating at a frequency known as ultraviolet light.  The ultraviolet light strikes a phosphor coating on the inside of the glass.  The phosphor responds to the ultraviolet light by producing a bright visible light.(28)

Since about 620 million fluorescent bulbs are discarded yearly in the U.S., discarded bulbs could release approximately 2 to 4 tons of Mercury per year in the U.S.   Airborne levels of Mercury in the vicinity of recently broken bulbs could exceed occupational exposure limits.

EPA has estimated that 6% of the Mercury in broken bulbs is released to the air.(29)

An industry report states that only about 1% of the Mercury in the bulbs is released during disposal and recycling operations.  However, release of 20% to 80% of the Mercury in discarded bulbs has been suggested by a study for Oak Ridge National Laboratory by Lindberg et al.(30)

Cement production is another good example of a source of Mercury releases due to the use of materials with very low Mercury concentrations, but consumed in very great quantities.

The cement plants release Mercury because they burn coal or other materials that contain Mercury, and process limestone, which can contain Mercury. (31)

The major pathway for Mercury releases from cement production is to the air, in wastes and residues, as well as in the cement product itself (32)

After the EPA started measuring Mercury pollution from cement kilns, its estimate for total toxic contribution nearly doubled, from under 12,000 pounds per year to 23,000 pounds.(33)

The production of Metallic Mercury is limited to about ten thousand tonnes each year, worldwide.

Estimates of the amount used in dentistry suggest that about 150 tonnes are used in dental restorations each year, the average dentist using 2 or 3 pounds (1 to 1.5 kg) annually. This seems insignificant compared with up to 150 kilotonnes released each year into the biosphere by degassing of the earth’s crust and by burning fossil fuels.

However, in the confined space of a contaminated dental surgery, the comparatively low partial pressure of free Mercury means that at room temperature, saturation of air with Mercury vapor can theoretically give rise to levels of 20 mg per cubic meter. (34)

Mercury in interior latex paint was banned by the Environmental Protection Agency.  Paint was the third largest manufacturing use of Mercury in the USA until it was banned in 1990.  Most buildings constructed before 1990 or 1991 probably contain some Mercury in their paint.

Mercury is used to amalgamate gold and a misunderstanding of adequate technical procedures and side-effects has caused considerable occupational hazards and contamination of other communities not directly involved with mining activities(35)

Small-scale gold mining is the second-worst source of Mercury pollution in the world, after the burning of fossil fuels.

Mercury is the oldest chemical method for separating minute particles of gold from surrounding materials: amalgamation with mercury, which was used in ancient Rome and in the United States during the California gold rush, and is still used today at artisanal mines deep in the Amazon jungles.  Typically, gravel and mud are combined with liquid Mercury, which binds to gold particles in the mix.

In the United States and Canada, gold mines, some more than 100 years old, some recently closed, and some active, are leaking acidic water containing heavy metals.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials estimate that 40% of western U.S. watersheds are affected by mining pollution. (35)

Coal burning power plants are another main source of Mercury pollution.

The top 50 most-polluting coal-burning power plants in the United States emitted 20 tons of toxic Mercury into the air in 2007, finds a November 2008 report from the nonprofit Environmental Integrity Project.(36)

Of the top 10 Mercury emitting power plants, all but one reported an increase as compared to the previous year.

Thus it can be seen that despite the dangers to health, the use of Mercury and the propagation into the environment  continues to increase.

Issues that need to be addressed are the safe blood / mercury levels as set by the government.  Are the safe blood / Mercury levels,  as set by the government, artificially high?  Who knows if these levels are safe and what long term effect these levels can have. Why are they not lowered?  Is it because law suits may follow.  It may be of no coincidence that the Canadian minister Lisa Raitt  is an expert in litigation.

If it seen that light bulbs are a key component in high incidence of Mercury pollution in Canada, she may be required to defend a few law suits from people contracting neural degenerative diseases.

Where is the Mercury (GEM) in the sky line above Toronto coming from?  The major factor is the seasonal differences. Power plant emissions and the breaking of fluorescent light bulbs do not cease in winter.

Where are the extra GEM emissions coming from?

Does the hot weather facilitate more rapid evaporation of Mercury from broken fluorescent lights or concrete buildings heated by the summer sun?  Does it escape from lights when outdoor bulb glass gets hot in the sun?

The main factor is GEM spikes in June which is not the hottest month.

Is Mercury being blown over from its neighboring states in the USA; brought downwards in winter with the snow attached to elements in soil of parks and golf courses, lakes etc.. and evaporated at a certain temperature in June?

Maybe we wont have long to find out – currently Julia Lu and her researchers are driving around in cars with measuring equipment in the hope of detecting the source.

Any guesses?

Related articles,

Air Pollution and Health: Is it a Con?

Death, Undertakers and the Environment

Mercury, Light Bulbs and the Mad Hatter

‘Fish, Mercury and the Invisible Condition‘

‘Aluminum in our Food: Manslaughter by Gross Neglect?’

Coca Cola: Pollution in a Bottle?

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Ann Margrain

Founder, ‘Heroin and Cornflakes’ blog.

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This entry was posted Wednesday, August 26th, 2009 at 2:57 pm and is filed under general. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.