New evidence shows that forest fires near the Arctic Circle release a toxic heavy metal into the atmosphere. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Corbin Sullivan reports the smoke can make its way down to the Northeast United States:
Transcript
New evidence shows that forest fires near the Arctic Circle release a toxic heavy metal into the
atmosphere. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Corbin Sullivan reports the smoke can make its
way down to the Northeast United States:
The study was published by the American Chemical
Society. It shows that fires in the boreal forests of
northern Canada are sending up massive amounts of
mercury into the atmosphere.
Scientists say the mercury released by the burning
evergreens is mostly natural. They say it comes from
volcanic eruptions.
Jeff Sigler of Yale University conducted the study. He
says in a given year, the fires can release as much
mercury as human sources like coal-fired power plants.
“A large Canadian boreal fire can really enhance the
ambient mercury, the mercury in the air, in the northeast
even though it’s already a fairly polluted area.”
Mercury is a heavy metal known to damage the central
nervous system. It’s toxic if ingested even in small
quantities.
Mercury becomes a threat to human health when it
returns to the earth in rain and makes its way up the food
chain in fish.
For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Corbin
Sullivan.