Background
Mercury naturally occurs in our environment. However, human-caused releases to solid waste, air and water have increased the prevalence of this toxin in the environment.
There are several different ways mercury enters the environment. A large proportion of mercury pollution in the United States is the result of air releases by industrial emissions - such as power plants burning coal and municipal and medical waste incinerators burning mercury-laden refuse. However, mercury released from the improper disposal of mercury-containing products and dental mercury amalgam can also contribute to mercury concentrations in the environment.
When mercury-containing products are disposed of in landfills, there is the potential for that mercury to eventually leach out into the groundwater or nearby streams. If not managed correctly, mercury amalgam that is used in dental offices may be released into sewer systems and end up in our waterways.
Once in the aquatic environment inorganic mercury can be transformed through biological processes into methylmercury, the most toxic form of mercury to humans and the type that accumulates in fish. Mercury builds up, or biomagnifies in the food chain. For example, fish absorb more mercury than they can eliminate; as a result mercury concentrations increase at each level of the food chain. So fish farther up on the food chain will have higher concentrations of mercury because of all the little fish they have been eating. The same is true for humans. Because we are at the top of the food chain, we tend to eat bigger fish that are more likely to have higher levels of mercury.
Women’s Voices for the Earth is working to reduce the amount of mercury released into the environment from mercury-containing products and dental offices. Here’s how you can help:
- Recycle all mercury-containing products
- Avoid purchasing products that contain mercury
- If your dentist hasn’t done so already, ask her to install an amalgam separator (a devise that removes mercury from the wastestream)
- Encourage your congressional and state representatives to support laws reducing mercury pollution and exposure
- Help support our work-donate now!
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Additional Resources
Use and Release of Mercury in the United States
Return to the main Mercury and Reproductive Justice campaign page
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