Sweden.
The levels of mercury in the country's freshwater fish is increasing every year with a few percent. The cause remains a major fallout of the toxic heavy metal that particular spread of coal burning.
- This increase is evenly spread across the country, "said Kjell Johansson at the Environmental Protection Agency.
Environmental Protection Agency will this week present a report with the alarming figures.
The report has been prepared as a basis for further negotiations within the UN air convention that works to halt the shipment of long-range air pollution.
- We want to have their feet firmly on the negotiations, "said Kjell Johansson.
Agency has analyzed data over the past ten years, stored in a database at the IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute. The data come mainly from municipal, county and water conservation as the years had an analysis of freshwater fish mercury.
In about half the country's lakes - 50000 pieces - exceeded the limits for mercury in fish.
- The concentrations of fish will increase by two percent each year and has done so in the last ten years, "said Kjell Johansson. Our report is a result of the development.
Environmental problems associated with mercury attention in the 1960s. Then the metal was used on a large scale to protect the seed against disease and to protect the pulp mills sewers to grow again.
The high levels when measured in fish and birds led both the ban on mercury in the pulp industry and in agriculture. They also led to the NFA blacklisted thousands of lakes which meant a ban on selling fish catches.
Blacklisting ended in 1991 after mercury levels have been on a downward trend after peaking in the 1970s.
The levels are now rising again due to atmospheric deposition.
- It falls down about as much now as it did in the last ten years, "said Lars Lundin, Professor at the Department of Environmental Assessment at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.
According to Lars Lundin shows analysis of the rainwater that had gone through the treetops to ground storage of mercury is filled at a higher rate than being carried away. When the mercury content increases in the soil increases also in water and in fish.
In the south of the country is the concentration of mercury in the soil about four times higher today than a century ago.
The concentrations in fish vary considerably. The leaner chips lake is surrounded by, the more mercury can be expected in the fish. And the bigger fish, the higher the concentration of the poison.
The relationship is well illustrated by the survey the County Administrative Board in Skåne was performed six years ago. Fish in Örsjöns in northern Skåne woodlands contain ten times more mercury than fish in Råbelövsjön on the plain outside Kristianstad.
In Sweden it is mainly the crematories that today is spreading mercury. Most of the fallout will depend on imports via the sea air.
- Coal burning is a major source of mercury can travel long distances in the air before it reaches us, "said Kjell Johansson. Incinerator and all other combustion also gives a contribution.
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