Mercury
From Coastal Wiki
Definition of mercury:
Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is a liquid (at room temperature and atmospheric pressure) heavy metal.[1]
This is the common definition for mercury, other definitions can be discussed in the article
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Notes
Natural mercury derives from the weathering of mercury-bearing rocks, volcano's and hydrothermal vents. Important anthropogenic sources are paper and lumber industries, antifouling paints, pesticides and pharmaceutical and other industries. In the Northern hemisphere these anthropogenic sources have largely been eliminated since the 1980's. Mercury has been the only contaminant (apart from pathogens) that certainly has been responsible for human deaths.. In anoxic sediments inorganic mercury is transformed in the more toxic methylmercury.[2]
See also
Refernces
- ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_(element)
- ↑ ↑ Kennish, M. J. (1996): Practical Handbook of Estuarine and Marine Pollution, CRC Press 524 pp
