Georgia and Florida dolphins have worrying levels of mercury Scientists say the mammals are a 'sentinel species' for human health Mercury can have devastating and wide-ranging effects on human health THURSDAY, June 14, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Dolphins living off the coasts of Georgia and Florida have elevated levels of mercury in their bodies, new research shows. That could have implications for people, said a team led by , a research biologist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Charleston, S.C.
“As a sentinel species, the bottlenose dolphin data presented here can direct future studies to evaluate mercury exposure to human residents,” said the team that published its findings recently in the journal . Mercury is a byproduct of human industry, but it also appears in nature. Animals, including large ocean-going fish and mammals, are at special risk since they rank high in the food chain and consume fish that have retained higher mercury levels.
As mercury builds up in the body, it can trigger a host of issues such as reproductive failure, behavioral changes and even death, the researchers said. In the new study, the researchers analyzed 175 skin samples collected from common bottlenose dolphins between 2005 and 2019. The samples came from St.
Joseph, Choctawhatchee and Biscayne Bays in Florida and the Skidaway and Turtle/Brunswick river estuaries and Sapelo Island in Georgia. After measuring mercury levels in the dolphin's skin, St. Joseph Bay dolphi.
