Re: Mercury scam?

[John Jacobus <crispy_bird@YAHOO.COM>]

Did you calculate the amount of mercury deposited in

the ocean from the burning of coal and other

industrial processes?  What form is the mercury

entering the oceans?  As an organic form that can be

absorbed by biota?



--- jjcohen <jjcohen@PRODIGY.NET> wrote:

>       Radsafers,

>       There is an alarming story in today's

> newspaper about increasing

> levels

>   of mercury pollution in seafood causing many

> assorted ills including

> autism

>   in children. This prompted me to do a quick and

> dirty calculation which

>   indicates that any increased mercury levels in

> seawater  have not resulted

>   from human activities and may, in fact,  not have

> occurred at all..

>   I would appreciate if someone would check out my

> logic and calculation to

>   see if it is correct

>   (it may be hard to believe, but I've been known to

> make mistakes).

>       During the last few years the estimated

> worldwide production of

> Mercury

>   has been  about 1000 tons/a. Conservatively

> assuming that this rate of

>   production had been going on for the last 1000

> years, mankind has produced

>   a total of about one million tons. Assuming that

> if instead of using this

>   mercury for anything practical, it were all

> committed to waste and dumped

>   into the ocean, it would only account for ~ 0.3 of

> 1.0% of current oceanic

>   mercury levels.

>   (The typical concentration of Hg in seawater is

> 0.0003ppm ( 0.3 mg/ton/).

>   The total mass  of seawater is ~1.0 E 18 tons.

> Therefore, the total mass

> of

>   oceanic mercury would be ~ 300 million tons).

>       If this assessment is anywhere near accurate

> it would mean that: (1)

> The

>   anthropic contribution to oceanic mercury levels

> is trivial, (2) whatever

>   effect is being caused by oceanic mercury has been

> going on for centuries,

>   and (3) the current hysteria has no logical basis.

>   Is it possible that EPA is pulling another scam on

> the public  similar

> that

>   with low-dose radiation????

> 

> 

> 

>

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=====

+++++++++++++++++++

""A fanatic is one who cannot change his mind and won't change the subject."  Winston Churchill



-- John

John Jacobus, MS

Certified Health Physicist

e-mail:  crispy_bird@yahoo.com



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