Transgenic Trees Spread Mercury Poisoning

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Transgenic Trees Spread Mercury Poisoning JoAnn Guest Mar 08, 2005 17:23 PST

JOE CUMMINS / Synthesis/Regeneration home page i.34, Spring 2004 5apr04

 

http://www.mindfully.org/GE/2004/Mercury-Trees-Cummins5apr04.htm

 

Joe Cummins, Professor Emeritus of Biology, University of Western

Ontario

 

Recently, researchers tested trees genetically modified to remove ionic

mercury from contaminated soil, then convert that to volatile elemental

mercury which is released to the atmosphere.

The researchers seem to believe that the atmospheric mercury will be

relatively harmless.

 

The field tests were undertaken in Danbury, Connecticut, and supported

by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other

interested parties. [1] Danbury is the home of mercury-polluted sites

originating from hat-making.

Mercury caused poisoning in workers, who get the “Danbury shakes.”

 

The mercury “remediation” project will, however, simply move the

pollution to the atmosphere, from which it will be redeposited over the

cities of the Northeast and the lakes and waterways of the northern USA

and Canada.

 

Once deposited in waterways and streets, elemental mercury will be

converted by microbes into organic mercury that will cause nerve damage

and birth defects in humans and animals alike.

 

The mercury “remediation” project will. . .

simply move the pollution to the atmosphere,

from which it will be redeposited . . .

 

Worldwide, emissions of mercury from human activities are estimated at

some 1900 tons, about three quarters from burning fossil fuels,

particularly coal.

Waste disposal sites, cement manufacture and waste incinerators make up

the bulk of the remainder.

 

Asian countries contribute over half the emissions while Europe and

North America contribute less than a quarter. Gaseous elemental mercury

makes up over half of the emitted mercury, while divalent mercury and

particulate mercury make up the rest. [2]

 

The emitted mercury tends to be deposited from the atmosphere in snow

and rainfall, posing serious threats to humans and animals because

elemental mercury is converted to ionic and organic mercury after ending

up in the Arctic, in Canada and in Northeastern American cities. [3,4]

 

If phytoremediation of mercury-polluted sites were undertaken on a

large scale in North America, the global emissions of mercury could

double in less than a decade.

 

The mercury phytoremediation scheme is based on introducing a bacterial

gene, merA, into the genome of plants. For efficient genetic activity in

plants, a synthetic merA gene with altered DNA sequence is used. [5–7]

 

Mercury-resistant microbes are also promoted as an efficient and

inexpensive treatment for mercury-polluted water. [8]

 

But the anticipated widespread application of such technology has not

considered the consequences of atmospheric pollution from mercury

remediation.

 

Phytoremediation and bacterial remediation both cause atmospheric

release of elemental mercury but are being promoted by technologists and

government regulators.

Such “remediation” is no remediation at all; it is just moving the

problem from one place to another!

 

In fact, it is moving mercury from contained, contaminated sites to the

streets of cities and the bodies of water that give us fish and drinking

water.

 

Notes

 

1. Williams P. UGA researchers involved in first trial using transgenic

trees to help clean up toxic waste site. University of Georgia News

Release September 11, 2003 http://www.uga.edu/news/

 

2. Pacyna E. & Pacyna J. Global emissions of mercury from anthropogenic

sources in 1995, Soil, Air and Water Pollution 2002, 137, 149-65.

 

3. Cummins J. “GM trees alert,” Science in Society 2002, 16, p.33;

www.i-sis.org.uk

 

4. Renneberg A & Dudas J. Transformation of elemental mercury to

inorganic and organic forms in mercury and hydrocarbon co-contaminated

soils. Chemosphere 2001 45, 1103-9.

 

5. Rugh C, Wilde H, Stack N, Thompson D, Summers A & Meagher R. Mercuric

ion reduction and resistance in transgenic Arabidopsis thanliana plants

expressing a modified mer A gene. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci USA 1996, 93,

3182–7.

 

6. Heaton A, Rugh C, Wang N, & Meagher R. Phtoremediation of mercury and

methyl mercury polluted soils using genetically engineerd plants.

Journal of Soil Contamination 1998, 7,497–509.

 

7. Kramer U and Chardonnens A. The use of transgenic plants in

bioremediation of soils contaminated with trace elements. Applied

Microbiology and Biotechnology 2001, 55, 661–72.

 

8. Wagner-Dobler I. Pilot plant for bioremediation of mercury-containing

industrial wastewater. Appl. Microbiol Biotechnol 2003, 62, 124–33.

 

[5apr04]

 

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