Mercury levels in fish in a river habitat after cessation of mercury contamination.

Abstract

The rate of decrease shown by mercury levels in brown trout (Salmo trutta) and perch (Perca fluviatilis) collected downstream to a wood pulp factory after a ban on the use of phenyl mercury in the pulp and paper industries was made effective in 1970 has been slow. Even though a river habitat was involved, it seemed to take about 15 years for levels of mercury in downstream fish to fall to those recorded in fish upstream to the wood pulp factory.