Mercury is a toxic heavy metal that cycles through the atmosphere, water, and soil in different forms to different parts of the world. Mercury pollution is a major concern and awareness about it has been raised on a global level. The 2002 Global Mercury assessment said, "International action to address the global Mercury problem should not be delayed”. 

According to a recent model study the total amount of Mercury released in the ocean is estimated to be around 80000 to 45000 metric tons and two third of this amount is estimated to be found in shallow waters approaching the height of 100 m where many consumable fishes are found. It is important to monitor and regulate mercury levels to prevent more mercury from reaching the human population through seafood consumption. 

In nature, mercury is mainly geogenic like volcanic activities and land emissions through the soil. Oceanic Mercury pollution is a serious threat to human health. The United States Environmental Protection Agency concluded that mercury consumption by people of all ages can result in weak vision, weak muscles, weak hearing and speech, and deteriorated movement coordination. 

Cleaning the existing mercury in the oceans could be a tedious process. There are some ongoing resources that bring hope to the challenging task. One search research is related to nanotechnology. It uses synthesized aluminum oxide nanoparticles (AI203) mimicking coral structures. The structures have the capability to absorb heavy metal toxins effectively due to the high surface/ volume ratio and quality of the surface. 

Corals have long been observed to absorb heavy metal ions due to their surface structure. This new technique has used nanotechnology to create synthetic corals that may help clean mercury in the ocean.

~ Aarav Chaddha (SMSMB)

~ By Dishita Kaushik (SMSMB)