Environmental Science 3300F/G Lecture Notes - Lecture 20: Muskrat Falls, James Bay Project, Metallothionein
Document Summary
Only metal that"s liquid at room temp. Hg is still used in fluorescent light bulbs (and get released if bulb is broken) Hg forms solutions with other metals, known as amalgams: amalgam used in fillings for teeth, amalgam fillings do not pose an immediate health risk. Its methylated forms are a result of bacterial action) and they can cross the blood brain barrier. Uses include gold extraction, dental amalgams and as electrodes. It is often naturally present in soil and can be mobilized by flooding. This process was used to procude cl2 to bleach paper. Hg is recovered after naoh production and is recycled. Built of the lagrande river in northwestern quebec. Submerged about 11,000km^2 of boreal forest o o. The vegetation"s hg was released into the aquatic ecosystem. There was no a spike in mercury levels in the james bay and in the fish in the bay.