Loading...
Socio-Economic Impacts of Mercury Contamination in Southern Ecoregions
Livernois, Alissa
Livernois, Alissa
item.page.creator
Citations
Altmetric:
Soloist
Composer
Publisher
Date
2016
Additional date(s)
2016-05-19
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) is a naturally occurring metal that is toxic to humans and can enter the human body through the consumption of mercury-contaminated fish. A general West to East pattern of increasing mercury concentrations was found within ecoregions of the South Central United States. Also, African Americans were found to overall consume more fish than Caucasians and populations with a lower education level eat fish more often and overall consume more fish. In this study, GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and 2010 United Stated Census data were used to compare the location of at-risk populations of people to the mercury levels of fourteen Southern ecoregions. Economic status, education level, age, and ethnicity were mapped within these ecoregions. A comparison was conducted to see if there was a relationship between high mercury levels in ecoregions and large numbers of the at-risk populations. The most at risk populations were located in the Eastern part of the six-state study area and should be the focus of education efforts to help the public understand the hazards of consuming mercury-contaminated fish.
Contents
Subject
Subject(s)
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Genre
Description
Format
Department
Environmental and Sustainability Sciences