ALKYLMERCURY SPECIES IN THE EQUATORIAL PACIFIC

HIGH levels of mercury in piscivorous fish constitute a long-standing health hazard1-6. Monomethyl mercury, the main form of mercury in fish, is more toxic than inorganic mercury. But although something is known of the ability of organisms to methylate mercury7,8, the sources, synthesis and fate of methyl mercury in aquatic waters are not well understood. Inorganic and alkylated mercury has been studied in natural waters9-11, precipitation and the atmosphere12,13. We now report evidence of monomethyl and dimethyl mercury in the low-oxygen waters of the equatorial Pacific. The presence of these species has important implications for our understanding of the biogeochemical cycling of mercury in the marine environment. Although the source of monomethyl mercury in open-ocean fish is still unknown, our data show that a pathway exists for the accumulation of methylated mercury in marine pelagic fish. © 1990 Nature Publishing Group.