What causes fish to get mercury in their bodies?

Question

What causes fish to get mercury in their bodies?

Answer 1

ingestion



.

Answer 2

By natural leaching reactions or pollution, Metal mercury in water eventually react with organic compounds ( there are many) in the water and plants to form alkyl mecury like methyl mercury . Some are eaten by fish but the mercury is not egested (or pooped) normally as other foods are. The methyl mercury can bioaccumulate in the cells and tissues of the fish and stay there.

If, an unfortunate person eats a fish with a lot of bioaccumulated mercury, then that person will also bioaccumulate the same mercury and may eventually die from the its carcinogenic effects.

Answer 3

"Mercury occurs both naturally and from man-made sources. Some of it can be traced to coal-burning power plants. Smokestacks release toxic mercury emissions which rain down into rivers, lakes, and oceans. Bacteria convert the mercury to a form that's easily absorbed by insects and other small organisms. Mercury moves up the food chain as small fish eat the small organisms and big fish eat the smaller fish."

Answer 4

Once mercury enters a waterway, naturally occurring bacteria absorb it and convert it to a form called methyl mercury. This transition is particularly significant for humans, who absorb methyl mercury easily and are especially vulnerable to its effects.

Mercury then works its way up the food chain as large fish consume contaminated smaller fish. Instead of dissolving or breaking down, mercury accumulates at ever-increasing levels. Predatory fish such as large tuna, swordfish, shark and mackerel can have mercury concentrations in their bodies that are 10,000 times higher than those of their surrounding habitat.

Answer 5

Bioaccumulation--little organisms pick it up when they fiilter polluted water, bigger organisms eat those little organisms and concentrate the mercury even more, and then somewhere up the chain, fish eat these other organisms who have concentrated mercury in themselves and end up with a lot of mercury in their systems.
It's the foodchain, except most organisms can't get rid of the mercury in their bodies so you have that whole pyramid's worth of mercury going into the fish at the top.

Answer 6

They ingest (eat) it from the bottom of the body of water they are living in. These fish are then consumed by other fish passing on the mercury in the process. Mercury is a heavy metal and sinks to the bottom quickly. There the bottom feeders ingest it as they forage for food.

Answer 7

Mercury is a common waste by product of industry, especially in the electronics production.
The wastes have flown unchecked into the water ways and oceans so fish have been absorbing it for a long time now.

Answer 8

water polution when they breath in that water mercury runs through the body

Answer 9

It leaks from our batteries in landfills and industrial waste. It eventually finds it's way to the water ways, and the fish absorb it.

Answer 10

It is in the water they live in. It constantly enters their bodies.

Answer 11

It is absorbed through the water they swim in.