New source identification of mercury contamination in the great lakes

Mercury contamination of the fishery affects hundreds of lakes and rivers in the Upper Midwest and around the Great Lakes. In Minnesota, fish consumption advisories restricting full utilization of the resource because of elevated levels of mercury have been issued for 285 water bodies compared to the limited database of 22 water bodies 10 years ago. In December 1988 in the broadest health warning issued on inland lakes, Michigan's Department of Public Health announced that people should limit consumption of fish from all of the state's 10,000 inland lakes because of mercury contamination. In the Great Lakes the International Joint Commission (IJC) identified 42 areas of concern for the development of plans for mitigation of pollution problems.