Climate Change, One Health and Mercury

Climate change is occurring on both regional and global scales. The use and global distribution of toxic metals is increasing and affecting environmental, animal and human health as a result of air, water and food contamination. Mercury (Hg) in major forms Hg°, Hg ²⁺ and methyl mercury (CH ₃ Hg ⁺ ) are increasingly available around the globe. Both metal and organic contaminants are impacting the health of all species on the planet. Mercury is an example of a metal that can cause or aggravate a disease state, for example, diabetes. Habitat stewardship is needed to maintain a healthy system, and selecting a keystone species as a bio indicator to monitor changes in contaminant levels over time and space is essential. Mercury can be used to monitor the flow of toxics through the food system. The structural organization of food webs and their sensitivity to disturbances are relevant to predicting the fate of Hg bioavailability related to climate change. Hg needs to be monitored across many ecosystems because it impacts not only human health but also the health of the plants and animals. Monitoring studies are needed to identify changes related to climate change. Increased precipitation and sea level rise will result in greater mercury mobility into the coastal and terrestrial food webs.