We welcome your comments and suggestions about this site. Fish in Minnesota lakes and rivers accumulate mercury.
Mercury recycles between land, water, and air and enters plant and animal tissue.
Although mercury is a naturally occurring metal, most of the mercury which enters Minnesota waters comes from household and industrial wastes during incineration, from latex paints, and from burning coal and other fossil fuels. Mercury levels are slowly increasing in lakes in the northern part of the state. These synthetic oils had many uses and are found in electrical transformers, cutting oils, and carbonless paper. Although they were banned in 1976, they do not decompose easily and remain in the water and lake sediments for years. PCB levels in Minnesota's waters are slowly decreasing.