A study unveiled this week found alarming levels of mercury in birds along Virginia rivers, a finding conservation groups say highlights the need for more action to cut the pollutant.
The results could spur further study of mercury in animals across the country and locally on the Potomac River, which one of the rivers that was tested flows into, said David Evers, who heads a Maine-based research group and was the lead scientific advisor for the report.
“Poisoning Wildlife: The Reality of Mercury Pollution,” a report based on 65 published studies, was released Tuesday by the National Wildlife Federation.
Part of the report was based on mercury testing of songbirds along two Virginia rivers: the Holston and the Shenandoah, a Potomac tributary. What researchers found was “surprisingly high” elevated levels of mercury – enough to cause reproductive problems – in songbirds like the Carolina wren, song sparrow and Louisiana water thrush, which ingest the pollutant through insects.
“When you think about this and the potential implications further downstream, I think it’s very plausible that a study should be done [on the Potomac],” said Evers.
There is no indication at this point, he said, that the findings will translate to health problems in humans.
Overall, the report details mercury contamination in fish, reptiles, mammals, birds and amphibians across the country.
“It opens up a whole new realm of wildlife species that are likely at risk that we haven’t been thinking of,” said Catherine Bowes, who authored the report and manages the Wildlife Federation’s mercury program.
Bowes said coal-fired power plants are the largest source of mercury pollution in the country, but other polluters include waste incinerators, cement plants, and even consumer use of mercury in thermometers and thermostats.
“The problem is more widespread than we realized,” said Nathan Lott, executive director of the Virginia Conservation Network, who said the commonwealth needs to further study the effects of wildlife contamination.
