'Integrating Knowledge to Inform Mercury Policy'

BBC News 28 August 2010 Environmental and animal-welfare groups are urging the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to persuade the World Health Organization (WHO) to act over fears about eating whale meat.  The coalition of organisations wants the WHO to issue guidelines amid fears about the safety of the meat.  The groups say whale meat is highly contaminated with mercury and should not be eaten.  But whaling nations say they already have health guidelines in place.

CEH measures many atmospheric chemicals at its EMEP superersite Auchencorth Moss, 15 miles south of Edinburgh in the Scottish Borders. Of interest with respect to the volcano is the measurement of hourly mercury concentrations and fluoride.  Volcanoes are a major natural source for mercury and it can be found in the gas phase and associated with volcanic ash. This link (CEH website) shows the most recent 5 days of mercury measurements.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing final rules that will cut emissions of mercury from Portland cement manufacturing, the third-largest source of mercury air emissions in the United States (Link to EPA press release).