Abstract: Mercury is a neurotoxic pollutant for which most human exposure is through their food, especially fish. An important international agreement to curb mercury in the environment, the Minamata Convention, was brought into force in 2017, with ongoing efforts to reduce mercury emissions to the environment and to monitor the effectiveness of these reductions. In this talk, Professor Mitchell will discuss the nature of mercury pollution and its effects and will present a history of mercury pollution in the environment, with a particular focus on Canada. The talk will also cover how indirect impacts from climate change, land use change and industrial activities affect the recovery of mercury-related issues in the environment, with examples from his research group’s recent work.
Carl Mitchell is a Professor in the Department of Physical & Environmental Sciences at the University of Toronto Scarborough. He is an award-winning researcher with a significant and long-term research focus on mercury in the environment, particularly its transport, transformation, and characterization in both relatively pristine and highly impacted landscapes. He is a co-inventor of MerPAS, a non-electric and economical sampler for mercury in air that has been taken up into monitoring networks worldwide and that recently led to him, and his co-inventors being awarded the prestigious Governor General’s Innovation Award. An Associate Editor for the journal Frontiers in Environmental Science, he is also currently one of Canada’s representatives for the United Nations Minamata Convention, a global pact aiming to reduce the amount and impact of mercury in the environment.
Great Explorations, is a series of academic discussions we hope will inspire our communities. Our special thanks to our engaged, critical thinkers who attend our speaker series. The dialogues that came out of these talks, both in-person and online via Zoom, are integral to our campus community and Scarborough communities at large. We welcome your input for future topics, as well as a review of previous recorded sessions available on YouTube.