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Toxin's distribution puzzles Colo. researchers

Written by MARK JAFFE, Denver Post
Monday, 06 April 2009
Mercury is popping up in waters across Colorado, and state officials are struggling to identify its source. About 20 percent of Colorado lakes and reservoirs the state has tested contain mercury-tainted fish. But the distribution of tainted fish is uneven, and researchers are struggling to figure out why. "We've got some very hot fish in some, but not in all our reservoirs," said Nicole Vieira, a state Division of Wildlife aquatic toxicologist. "If we can figure out what is at work, we might be able to manage the fish stocks to reduce mercury." Colorado has issued regulations requiring power plants -- a prime source of the toxin -- to cut their mercury emissions by 90 percent by 2018. Every state has issued mercury health advisories on eating fish, according to U.S. EPA. Methylmercury poisoning can impair vision, walking, speech and hearing. Set as favorite Bookmark Email This Comments (0) Subscribe to this comment's feed Write comment You must be logged in to a comment. Please register if you do not have an account yet.
Last Updated ( Monday, 06 April 2009 )