Mercury Pollution : A Transdisciplinary Treatment

Using mercury pollution as an example, this book illustrates the interdisciplinary approach required for solving environmental problems. It explains the details of the natural cycling of mercury in and on the earth and discusses how humans have dramatically disrupted its exchange among the earth’s soil, air, and water. The chapters discuss history, media, and politics in relation to mercury and contain links to established websites with specific resources for readers. Also included are smaller case studies, such as the Minamata tragedy, fish consumption, and international treaties.

How does mercury get out of the ground and into our food? Is tuna safe to eat? What was the Minamata Disaster? Mercury Pollution: A Transdisciplinary Treatment addresses these questions and more. The editors weave interdisciplinary threads into a tapestry that presents a more complete picture of the effects of mercury pollution and provides new ways to think about the environment.

The remarkable features that make mercury so useful—and poisonous—have given rise to many stories laid out in rich objective detail, carefully detailing medical, epidemiological, or historical insight, but sidestepping the human experience. A technically rich book that only touches on the human consequences of mercury poisoning cannot fully portray the anguish, confusion, and painful deaths that are the consequence of mercury pollution. Therefore, the editors purposely step out of the conventional scientific framework for discussing mercury pollution to explore the wider human experience.

This book clarifies how we are all connected to mercury, how we absorb it through the food we eat and the air we breathe, and how we release it as a consequence of our new technologies. It tackles interesting environmental issues without being overly technical and uses mercury as a case study and model for studying environmental problems. The book uses discussions of the issues surrounding mercury pollution to illustrate how an interdisciplinary vantage is necessary to solve environmental problems.

Read an article in the SETAC Globe by Michael C. Newman and Sharon L. Zuber athttp://www.setac.org/globe/2011/november/mercury-pollution.html