Abstract
This paper reviews information from the literature and the EU ArcRisk project to assess whether climate change results in an increase or decrease in exposure to mercury (Hg) in the Arctic, and if this in turn will impact the risks related to its harmful effects. It presents the state-of-the art of knowledge on atmospheric mercury emissions from anthropogenic sources worldwide, the long-range transport to the Arctic, and it discusses the likely environmental fate and exposure effects on population groups in the Arctic under climate change conditions. The paper also includes information about the likely synergy effects (co-benefits) current and new climate change polices and mitigation options might have on mercury emissions reductions in the future. The review concludes that reductions of mercury emission from anthropogenic sources worldwide would need to be introduced as soon as possible in order to assure lowering the adverse impact of climate change on human health. Scientific information currently available, however, is not in the position to clearly answer whether climate change will increase or decrease the risk of exposure to mercury in the Arctic. New research should therefore be undertaken to model the relationships between climate change and mercury exposure.
Highlights
Mercury (Hg) is a toxic, persistent and mobile pollutant
This was the basis for the European Commission funded Arctic Health Risks project (ArcRisk; www.arcrisk.eu) where the main goal was to investigate if climate change in the form of increased temperature would affect the transport of contaminants to the Arctic
Even though the future climate change mitigation options are expected to reduce emissions and the long-range transport of gaseous elemental mercury, it is not clear how important these emission reductions are to the changes in mercury in the Arctic, compared to factors impacted by climate change
Summary
Mercury (Hg) is a toxic, persistent and mobile pollutant. In methylated form (methylmercury‒MeHg), it bio-accumulates and bio-magnifies in the environment and becomes a threat to human health via the food chain. The potential for climate change to affect the environmental transport of mercury and its risks of human health impacts, has recently gained increased attention from the international scientific community. Investigating climate change effects on mercury contamination in the Arctic may present an opportunity to gain insight into changes that may later impact populations in other regions of the world, such as in Europe. This was the basis for the European Commission funded Arctic Health Risks project (ArcRisk; www.arcrisk.eu) where the main goal was to investigate if climate change in the form of increased temperature would affect the transport of contaminants to the Arctic.
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