"Porpoises in UK waters are being found with record rates of mercury in their livers, scientists have found. New research has found that mercury levels in British waters have increased over time, and that animals with higher levels are more likely to die from infectious disease. Analysing liver samples form 738 harbour porpoises found stranded on UK coastlines between 1990 and 2021, scientists found mercury concentrations in porpoise livers rose by 1 per cent each year."
"By 2021, the average mercury concentration was almost double that of early 1990s. Alongside the increase in mercury concentrations in porpoise livers, scientists saw an increase in the proportion of porpoises dying from infectious disease and a corresponding decline in deaths from trauma. Rosie Williams, the study's author and postdoctoral researcher at the Zoological Society of London, said that while this doesn't conclusively prove mercury is the sole cause of the rise in infectious disease deaths, the study strongly suggests that mercury is part of the problem."
Researchers analysed liver samples from 738 harbour porpoises stranded on UK coastlines between 1990 and 2021 and found mercury concentrations increased by about 1% per year. By 2021 the average mercury concentration in porpoise livers was almost double that of the early 1990s. The increase in mercury coincided with a rise in the proportion of porpoises dying from infectious disease and a decline in deaths from trauma. Scientists caution that mercury is not proven to be the sole cause of increased infectious disease mortality, but the evidence strongly suggests mercury is contributing to the problem.
Read at www.independent.co.uk
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]