Frankentrees Will Spread Mercury Poisoning

Date Posted: 09/18/2003
Subject: Transgenic Trees Spread Mercury Poisoning
Posted By: press-release@i-sis.org.uk
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Transgenic Trees Spread Mercury Poisoning
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Is moving mercury from place to place really remediation? Prof. Joe
Cummins asks.

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 Environment Protection Agency (EPA) and other interested
parties [1]. Danbury is the home of mercury-polluted sites originating
from hat- making. Mercury caused mercury 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 northern
USA and Canada. Once deposited in the waterways and streets of cities,
elemental mercury will be converted by microbes into organic mercury that
will cause nerve damage and birth defects in humans and animals alike.

Last year, I pointed out the dangers of this form of remediation for the
cities and waters of the United States and Canada [2]. But my comments
were completely ignored by the EPA bureaucrats and the biotechnology industry.

Worldwide, human activities resulting in emission of mercury is estimated
to be some 1900 tonnes, about three quarters from burning fossil fuels,
particularly coal. Waste disposal sites, cement manufacture and waste
incinerators made up the bulk of the remainder. Asian countries contribute
over half of the emission 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 [3]. The emitted mercury tends to be deposited from the
atmosphere in snow and rainfall, posing serious threat to humans and
animals because elemental mercury is converted to ionic and organic
mercury after ending up in the Arctic, in Canada and Northeastern American
cities [2,4]. If phytoremediation of mercury-polluted sites were
undertaken on a large scale in North America, the global emission 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 to modify
plants [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 consequence of atmospheric-pollution from mercury remediation.

In conclusion, mercury remediation using phytoremediation and bacterial
remediation, both cause atmospheric release of elemental mercury, and is
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.


Williams P. UGA researchers involved in first trial using transgenic trees
to help clean up toxic waste site. University of Georgia News Release
Sept. 11, 2003 http://www.uga.edu/news/

Cummins J. "GM trees alert" Science in Society 2002, 16, p.33 www.i-sis.org.uk

Pacyna E. and Pacyna J. Global emissions of mercury from anthropogenic
sources in 1995, Soil, Air and Water Pollution 2002,
137, 149-65

Renneberg A and Dudas J. Transformation of elemental mercury to inorganic
and organic forms in mercury and hydrocarbon co-contaminated soils.
Chemosphere year? 45, 1103-9

Rugh C, Wilde H, Stack N, Thompson D, Summers A and 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

Heaton A, Rugh C, Wang N, and Meagher R. Phtoremediation of mercury and
methyl mercury polluted soils using genetically engineerd plants. Journal
of Soil Contamination 1998, 7,497-509

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

Wagner-Dobler I. Pilot plant for bioremediation of mercury-containing
industrial wastewater. Appl. Microbiol Biotechnol
2003, 62, 124-33