OREANDA-NEWS Scientists from Harvard University simulated the dynamics of the concentration of methylmercury in the tissues of two species of marine commercial predators - Atlantic cod and Katran. The study of this factor has gained particular importance due to the dangerous toxic properties of this substance for the human body.

Methyl mercury occurs as a product of microorganisms processing inorganic mercury which, when released into the atmosphere, accumulates and then precipitated in the ocean on 80%. Transmitted along the food chain, methylmercury tends to accumulate its concentration while moving to the top - marine predators, among which their commercial species ultimately end up in human food. Moreover, previous studies have found that lower algae accumulate methylmercury at the same rate. 

In the process of analysis, American researchers were able to identify the most important parameters that influenced the concentration of methylmercury, starting in the 1970s. One of them turned out to be an increase in average water temperature due to global warming. Another factor was the change in the diet of marine predators after a decline in the Atlantic herring population as a result of uncontrolled fishing and then returning to a normal diet in the 2000s. The level of methylmercury in the quatran eventually decreased, while in the cod, it increased.