Forest fires mobilize mercury from the soil and, according to new research, can send the toxic metal into nearby streams and lakes where it accumulates in fish.
The finding suggests that ecological and health dangers associated with mercury-contaminated fish could grow if, as researchers predict (SN: 7/8/06, p. 19: The Long Burn: Warming drove recent upswing in wildfires), North American wildfires become larger and more frequent.
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