Mercury Contamination in the Caribbean
Presentation Type
Presentation
Full Name of Faculty Mentor
Russell Fielding, Honors, Sustainability and Coastal Resilience
Major
Interdis Studies
Presentation Abstract
One of the main food sources of the Caribbean Islands are whales and other marine species. Due to human interaction and pollution the marine food chain has become very polluted in mercury, bioaccumulating in the species that are high on the food chain. There are also several active volcanoes surrounding the islands, meaning that if and when these erupt, mercury is also released into the air via ash. When consumed at high concentrations mercury can be highly toxic to humans. We were able to analyze over 500 samples of hair, volcanic sediment, and whale tissue taken from the Caribbean Islands and the area around them at the Environmental Contaminants Lab at Harvard University. From these samples we were able to see the concentration of mercury in each samples and trap the mercury isotopes. From this data we will match the isotopes taken from the hair samples to the isotopes in the whale tissue and the sediment samples to see which is impacting the countries more. This research gives headway in exploring how pollution on a human and natural level can show the government and the communities that actions need to be taken for the health of the people.
Start Date
11-4-2023 9:00 AM
End Date
11-4-2023 9:20 AM
Disciplines
Sustainability
Recommended Citation
Smith, Madison; Taylor, Holly; and Zimmerman, Katey, "Mercury Contamination in the Caribbean" (2023). Undergraduate Research Competition. 11.
https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/ugrc/2023/fullconference/11
Mercury Contamination in the Caribbean
One of the main food sources of the Caribbean Islands are whales and other marine species. Due to human interaction and pollution the marine food chain has become very polluted in mercury, bioaccumulating in the species that are high on the food chain. There are also several active volcanoes surrounding the islands, meaning that if and when these erupt, mercury is also released into the air via ash. When consumed at high concentrations mercury can be highly toxic to humans. We were able to analyze over 500 samples of hair, volcanic sediment, and whale tissue taken from the Caribbean Islands and the area around them at the Environmental Contaminants Lab at Harvard University. From these samples we were able to see the concentration of mercury in each samples and trap the mercury isotopes. From this data we will match the isotopes taken from the hair samples to the isotopes in the whale tissue and the sediment samples to see which is impacting the countries more. This research gives headway in exploring how pollution on a human and natural level can show the government and the communities that actions need to be taken for the health of the people.