Plants And Trees Safely Store Mercury; And When They Burn, You Breathe It In
Climate change and bushfire may exacerbate recent mercury pollution and increase exposure to the poisonous neurotoxin, according to our study published in the Journal of Paleolimnology. Mercury stored in plants is released during bushfires, suggesting Australia is particularly at risk.
Our study in the Venezuelan Andes examined how mercury deposits responded when the world warmed by about 3℃ between 14,500 and 11,500 years ago. (Scientists call this period the transition from the Last Glacial Maximum to the Holocene). We found the amount of mercury deposited in the environment at this time increased four-fold.
Over the past 150 years, humans have tripled the amount of mercury in the atmosphere. It can remain there for months, and be transported by wind to even the most remote ecosystems on Earth.
EDIT
Plants can store a significant pool of mercury from the atmosphere, which is good – until fires occur. Unfortunately, mercury stored by vegetation is released during burning. This is particularly the case in contaminated areas, where plants store significant quantities of mercury emitted from human activities such as mining. Given the recent catastrophic fires engulfing large tracts of land in Australia, that’s a worry.
EDIT
https://desdemonadespair.net/2020/02/plants-safely-store-toxic-mercury-bushfires-and-climate-change-bring-it-back-into-our-environment.html
