Florida is beginning a campaign to monitor mercury because of its accumulation in the state’s surface waters. A community close to a cement manufacturing plant asked Florida Gateway College for information about the impact of mercury on drinking water.
We explained that the U.S. EPA regulates mercury in drinking water to protect public health. Mercury can cause health problems if present in amounts greater than 2 parts per billion. The health effects of mercury contamination mainly include kidney damage.Multiple sourcesLarge amounts of mercury are released naturally from the earth’s crust, and other sources include combustion of fossil fuels, metal smelters, cement
