Scientists Warn ‘Giant Mercury Bomb’ Is Ticking

This ticking environmental time bomb is poised to unleash a wave of toxic mercury into Alaska’s waterways, endangering millions. The chilling revelation comes from a study in the journal Environmental Research Letters.

“There could be this giant mercury bomb in the Arctic waiting to explode,” says Josh West from the University of Southern California. The potential disaster could impact water quality and ecosystems across the region.

If predictions hold, by 2050, regions with permafrost will diminish significantly, leaving 3 million people directly in harm’s way as the soil continues to degrade and release harmful substances.

It thaws each summer and refreezes in winter but retains deeper frozen layers. Now, this cycle is disrupted, enhancing the risk of mercury release into the environment.

Mercury accumulates there where plants absorb the chemical. The plants die and become part of the soil, which freezes in the permafrost. This is how the pollutant accumulates over thousands of years and is not especially harmful. The concern arises from when the permafrost thaws.

The integrity of this massive frozen reservoir is now compromised due to increasing global temperatures.

This rapid thawing is not just a theoretical concern but a present reality with immediate and future consequences for global health and safety.

The paper wrote: “While moderate climate scenarios project 15 to 87% permafrost loss by 2100, extreme scenarios estimate up to 99% loss.”

“Permafrost has accumulated so much mercury that it could dwarf the amount in the oceans, soils, atmosphere and biosphere combined,” notes Josh West.

They’re finding that the levels of mercury correspond to the higher estimates of previous studies, signaling an urgent need for monitoring and mitigation.

Researchers found that sediment with finer grains contained more mercury than coarser grains. Different soil types pose different levels of threat to humans and wildlife that live along the Yukon River.

This comprehensive approach helps provide a clearer picture of the environmental challenges posed by mercury in the Arctic.

Co-author of the study, Isabel Smith, said: “The river can quickly mobilize large amounts of sediment containing mercury.”

This data will reveal how the river could erode sediments containing mercury and wash it downstream. Smith said: “Taking into account all of these factors should give us a more accurate estimate of the total mercury that could be released as permafrost continues to melt over the next few decades.”

“Most human exposure to mercury comes through diet,” West assures, emphasizing that the current levels are not as dire as water crises like in Flint, Michigan.

Mercury can wreak havoc on the nervous system, causing tremors, memory problems, coordination issues and mood changes. It can also cause developmental issues in children along with kidney problems.

“Decades of exposure, especially with increasing levels as more mercury is released, could take a huge toll on the environment and health,” warns Smith.

Mercury accumulates in smaller species that live in the water and are consumed by larger species. Mercury is dispersed throughout entire food chains, which is how humans could consume high levels of mercury in the future.

Smith said: “Decades of exposure, especially with increasing levels as more mercury is released, could take a huge toll on the environment and the health of those living in these areas.”

This reburial adds another layer of complexity to understanding and managing the mercury threat effectively.

Increased mercury levels from melting permafrost could be catastrophic for First Nations people. A 2022 Alaskan study concluded that “Arctic Indigenous Peoples are among the most exposed humans when it comes to foodborne mercury.”

Darcy Peter, a Koyukon and Gwich-in Athabascan native in Alaska, said mercury exposure would completely disrupt his life. “Where I’m from in Beaver, there’s no grocery stores. We build our own cabins. We haul our own water. We hunt our own food.”

Peter said she had not seen salmon for years, and mercury already “creates a slew of problems” for herself and her community. “We definitely feel it on a physical scale, an emotional scale and a financial scale — the decline of salmon and the presence of mercury on the Yukon River,” said Peter.

They say they hope the tolls will enable a more precise assessment of the “mercury bomb.” Maybe by having a better gauge of the situation, they might be able to defuse the bomb.