The Mercury Problem
In South Carolina’s Freshwaters
A project funded by The Sustainable Universities Initiative
Produced by Lynn Hanson and Lisa Pike
Francis Marion University
Florence, SC
2003
This Presentation Includes
Information On:
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Mercury Contamination
Effects of Mercury
Sources of Contamination
Processes of Contamination
Those Affected
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Prevention Methods
Pollution Control
Government Intervention
Ways to Get Involved
The Effects of Mercury
Though its effects are not immediately exhibited, mercury has
a drastic impact on humans and wildlife over time.
Mercury can affect:
• Human health, including:
– Visual problems.
– Brain/organ damage.
– Death.
• Wildlife, including:
– Reproductive failure.
– Convulsions.
– Death.
The groups most sensitive to
mercury are:
• Women who are:
– Pregnant.
– Nursing.
– Planning to conceive.
• Fetuses.
• Infants.
• Children under 6
years of age.
One in every 10 women risk passing
mercury toxins to their children through
the placenta and breast milk.
Children are 4 to 5 times more
sensitive to mercury than adults.
In both fetuses and infants,
mercury can cause:
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Brain damage.
Organ and tissue damage.
Impaired immune systems.
Blindness.
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Seizures.
Muteness.
Behavioral problems.
Incoordination.
Also, mercury can impair the
health of adults’
Central nervous systems ...
causing such symptoms
as incoordination, joint pain,
fatigue, loss of concentration.
Digestive systems ...
causing such symptoms
as diarrhea.
Circulatory systems ...
causing such symptoms as
numbness in fingers or toes,
high blood pressure.
Furthermore, mercury has negative
effects on:
• Plants.
• Animals.
For plants, mercury can cause:
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Unusual discolorations and spotting.
Twisting or turning of leaves.
Loss of flowers.
Poor growth of the plant .
Also...
Mercury can:
• Affect both light and dark reactions of photosynthesis by:
–Lowering the amount of photosynthesis.
–Interfering with water transport.
• Inhibit:
–Growth.
–Chlorophyll production.
• Injure:
–Leaves.
–Roots.
For animals, mercury can:
• Affect reproduction
– Embryo deformity
– Lower hatching rates
– Lower birth rate.
• Affect growth and behavior
– Limb deformities.
• Result in death.
So what is mercury?
Mercury is a naturally occurring
element having 2 forms:
• Liquid, which is:
– Odorless.
– Shiny.
– Metallic.
• Gas, which is:
– Odorless.
– Colorless.
– Released from rocks and waters.
Sources of Mercury Contamination
• Man-Made
• Natural Processes
Man-Made Sources
1. Coal-Fired Power Plants
– There are 13 coal-fired plants in
South Carolina.
– Coal-fired power plants are
being proposed for Marion
County and Greenville County.
2. Mining and Smelting
Man-Made Sources
3. Industrial Activities
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Pulp and paper mills
Leather tanning
Electroplating
Chemical Manufacturing
Gold mining.
4. Waste water treatment facilities
5. Medical Waste
Mercury Emissions by Source Type
Combustion point sources, primarily coal combustion, contribute
approximately 87% of mercury emissions in the United States.
Medical Waste Combustion
10%
Fluorescent Light Breakage
6%
Sewage Sludge Combustion
4%
Coal Burning
42%
Mobile Sources
4%
Lime Production
2%
Miscellaneous(Asphalt,
Combution, Dental/lab,
Cremation, Battery
Manufacturing, Landfill
Gases)
2%
Oil Burning
5%
Wood & Gas
1%
Chloro-Alkali Plants
17%
Municipal Solid Waste
Combustion
7%
More Man-Made Sources
6. Direct application of
fertilizers to soil
7. Domestic
• Fluorescent
lights
• Thermometers
• Barometers
• Wall switches
• Light-up shoes
• Rubber floors
• Pipes
• Freezer thermostats
• Dental fillings.
The mercury from one thermometer
is enough to contaminate all the fish
in a 20-acre lake.
Natural Sources of Mercury
1. Weathering releases
mercury to surface waters
from rocks and soils.
2. Volcanoes release
gaseous mercury into the
air.
3. Wildfires release mercury
stored in trees.
4. Rain deposits mercury
from the air onto water
and soil surfaces.
High levels of mercury in South
Carolina have been found in:
• 35 rivers, creeks, and streams.
• 17 lakes.
• Fish that inhabit these waters.
The larger problem occurs when
• Mercury combines with
carbon to form the
highly toxic
methylmercury
Hg(CH3)2.
− a process that occurs more
rapidly in South Carolina
due to acid rain.
Mercury gets into our bodies
through bioaccumulation
• Binding to fish proteins and accumulating in
greater amounts as it moves up the food chain.
Mercury Bioaccumulation Process
1. Mercury is deposited from
the air into the water.
2. Plants absorb the mercury.
3. Small fish eat the plants.
4. Large fish eat the small fish.
5. Humans eat the large fish.
Who fishes in South Carolina?
People who fish in South Carolina are:
• 45 % are from rural areas.
• 31 % are from small cities or towns.
• 14 % are from suburbs or large metropolitan areas.
• 8 % are from big cities or urban areas.
Characteristics of South Carolina
Fishers:
Age:
• 11 % are 24 and younger.
• 70 % are 25-54 years of age.
• 15 % are 55 and older.
Gender:
• 78 % are male.
• 22 % are female.
Ways to Prevent Mercury Poisoning
South Carolinians can safely eat fish taken from the state’s
waters if they follow the consumption guidelines.
Consumption advisories provide
information to help you decide:
• Where to fish.
• Which fish to keep.
• How much to eat.
According to the guidelines, the groups
listed below should not eat any fish
containing mercury.
• Infants.
• Children under age 6.
• Women who are:
– Pregnant.
– Nursing.
– Planning to conceive.
Table 2: SC Mercury advisories for Rivers and Streams (2003)
From NC / SC state
line to I-95 in Dillon
county SC
Great Pee
Dee River
From I-95 to Winyah
Bay
Little Pee
Dee River
From the NC/SC state
line to the Great Pee
Dee River
Redear Sunfish
Bluegill
Black Crappie
Blue Catfish
Channel Catfish
Warmouth
Largemouth Bass
Bowfin (mudfish)
No
Restrictions
Flathead Catfish
Largemouth Bass
Bowfin (mudfish)
Chain Pickerel
DO NOT
EAT ANY
All other fish
1 meal a week
1 meal a week
Source: www.scdhec.net/eqc/admin/html/fishadv.html
You can obtain a mercury
consumption table:
• From local health departments.
• From Environmental Quality
Control district offices.
• By calling DHEC's Division of
Health Hazard Evaluation, toll
free, at 1-888-849-7241.
• On the web at
www.scdhec.net/eqc/admin/htm
l/fishadv.html.
Fish Consumption Advisories
40 out of 50 US
states have fish
consumption
advisories due to
mercury.
Additional Saltwater Species Advisories:
• The FDA (2001) advises
women who are pregnant
or “trying” NOT to eat:
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Shark
Swordfish
King mackerel
Tilefish.
• These women may eat up
to:
– 12 oz. per week of other fish
OR
– 2 six oz. cans of tuna per week
OR
– 1 six oz. can of tuna plus six oz.
of other fish per week.
This graphic shows mercury levels
in fish caught in SC and GA.
• DHEC has tested over
1800 fish samples and
currently regulates
bodies of water with
warnings and signs.
• The Pee Dee area of
South Carolina and the
Santee River Basin
have especially high
levels of mercury in
See the enlarged view (next page).
fish.
Hg is measured in ppm, with fish over 0.25 ppm having advisories.
Close to Home
• The Santee River
Basin is one of the 5
most methlymercurycontaminated basins in
the U.S.
How can we reduce
mercury levels to ensure
everyone’s health?
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Innovation
Renewable Energy
Prevention
Clean-up
Legal Action
Community Initiatives
Renewable energy can be
created without coal.
Alternatives to coal-fired power
include:
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Hydroelectric Power.
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Geothermal Power.
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Hydrogen Fuel Cells.
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Nuclear Power.
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Wind Turbines.
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Solar Power.
Note: The first 5 alternatives are
renewable resources that cause little
pollution. Nuclear power is not
renewable and generates hazardous
waste including radioactive spent
fuel.
Renewable Energy Sources Can
• Abate the mercury problem
• Slow global warming
• Diminish air pollution.
Pollution Control Methods for
Coal-Fired Power Plants
• Electrostatic Precipitators
• Sulfur Dioxide Scrubbers
• Pistachio Shell and Tire
Mixes which form carbon
sorbents that absorb
mercury.
Statistics
• Using electrostatic precipitators (ESP’s) can
reduce mercury emissions by 0-30%.
• ESP’s combined with wet scrubbers can remove
55% of the total mercury content.
• Using the pistachio shell and tire mix is a cheaper
alternative to absorbing carbon. Carbon sorbents
can reduce mercury by 40-70%.
We can also use plants to absorb
mercury from water.
• A specially engineered
Eastern cottonwood can
absorb methylmercury
and detoxify it.
• When the tree is
harvested, it is taken to a
hazardous waste landfill.
This is called Phytoremediation
The Law: EPA and FDA
• The FDA has set an allowable level of mercury in
seafood: 1 part per million.
• The EPA has decreased mercury emissions in the past
decade by regulating:
– municipal waste combustors
– medical waste incinerators
– hazardous waste combustors.
• The EPA contributes funds to state and local
governments that pre-treat mercury at sewage treatment
plants.
Further Advancements:
• By 2003, the EPA will establish mercury removal
levels for coal-fired power plants.
• They propose that coal-fired power plants will be in
compliance by 2007.
– These new levels are under protest by many coal-fired
power plants.
• The goal is to reduce nationwide mercury
emissions to 50 percent of the 1990 levels.
Threats to South Carolina:
• The Department of Energy currently collects data on
mercury deposits in South Carolina at only 3 sites.
– Savannah River Site (SRS)
– Congaree Swamp
– Coastal Carolina University.
• The EPA monitors gaseous mercury emissions only from
factories but not from the general atmosphere.
• A 50 % cut in funding to DHEC’s Air Quality lab (as of
1/6/03) will eliminate mercury analyses at SRS.
Don’t let this happen….
Ways to Get Involved
You can help make South Carolina a safer environment
for ourselves and future generations.
You can ...
Contact South Carolina’s Congressmen
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Urge your state senators and representatives to address
the mercury problem in South Carolina’s freshwaters.
• Their telephone numbers and addresses are available at:
http://www.scstatehouse.net/index.html
You can also...
Contact the Department of Health and
Environmental Control
• To find out about cleaning up and improving the mercury
levels in South Carolina’s freshwaters.
DHEC officials can be located at:
* (803) 898-3432
2600 Bull Street
Columbia, SC 29201
* [email protected]
Francis Marion University
A Growing South Carolina Tradition
Thank you for participating in environmental awareness
and protection.
This presentation was developed by:
• The students at Francis Marion University:
– Biology 103 Environmental Science - Honors
– English 305 Business Writing
– English 318 Technical Communication.
• Under the direction of:
– Dr. Lynn Hanson, English Department
– Ms. Lisa Pike, Biology Department.
Student Participants
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Eric Ard
Johanna Cooper
Will Flowers
Page Horton
Beverly Loflin
Franklyn McInnis
Niketa Patel
Merenyth Pressely
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Stephanie Reed
David Richardson
Jennifer Richardson
Julie Thompson
Mandy Watts
Anthony Hicks
Christina Garrett
Lindsay Bryant
Student Participants, Cont.
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Robert Bryant
Sharonte Evans
Sean Hughes
Elaine Laws
Antoine McClain
Latonya Mims
Michael Nicholson
Jason Sanderson
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Sharonda Scott
Eric Snyder
Kelly Spigner
Mackie Watts
Summer Weeks
Luke Wilcox
Tamika Williams
Erica Wilson
Student Participants, Cont.
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Leslie Carter
Douglas Chiles
Kevin Cooper
Jonathan Fitch
John Fogle
Mike Killion
Carla McCall
Jason McInville
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Matt Miles
Jon Owens
Stephanie Rhodes
Nathaniel Rowell
John Schwab
Jessica Smith
Willie Strickland
Kendrick Wilson
Student Participants, Cont.
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Connie Ackiss
Whitney Barfield
Trey Bryant
Todd Buehrig
Josh Dixon
Ramona Fox
Trevor Herring
Katie Lee
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Loren Long
Ashley Parker
Casey Purvis
Brad Shives
Courtney Wright
Hanson, Lynn and Lisa Pike. The mercury
problem in South Carolina’s freshwaters:
a project funded by the Sustainable
Universities Initiative. CD-ROM.
Florence, South Carolina: Francis Marion
University, 2003.
(also accessible at:
http://alpha1.fmarion.edu/~mercury/mercury.html)