Comments about ‘Utah scientists scan air for mercury sources’

Highest Mercury level in a US water body, worst air inversions, dead last in education spending, what else? The more I read news like this, the more I think Utah IS NOT THE PLACE.

check the data

Why are we blaming China or India? Both of these countries have significantly better air than Utah.

I'm not interested in the facts. My mindset is immovable. This is Zion and I don't want to believe that we have the highest Mercury level content in the US for a water body.

God will solve this problem if there in fact is one.

Why do you leave, Butch? Come to California. We spend millions and millions on the environment, education, etc. And we're the the most messed up, broke state in the Union.

You've obviously never been to China or India!

Maybe this is why there are so many mentally ill, delusional, and senile people in Utah.

I've been to both countries numerous times on business and I would have to agree that the air along the Wasatch Front is substantially worse than the air in either of these two countries.

a summer doing research for the Chinese government in one of the industrial cities of southern Mainland China--something like 11 or 13 million people and lots of heavy industry. And believe me, the air there was MUCH worse than Utah, AZ, Washington state or central PA.
Which still doesn't tell us where that mercury is coming from and whether it is from man-made sources, or from some environmental thing we don't even understand yet. I hope the cause is discovered.

This will be interesting. Great Salt Lake`s mercury level has been a mystery for many years. The tributaries have been studied over and over.There is no mercury contamination from lakeside industry. I`ve heard many of the theories. Most mentioned in the article. I attended an SLC engineering firm`s study results a couple of years ago on this. I`ll be watching..
Hey Butch...maybe New Jersey...you would fit right in.

man this is the most toxined state in the west...always has always will be...when you go to the se part don't drink the water , buy it seriously! pretty soon its dueling banjo time!

Lived in Mubai, India for 3 years. The air is worse in Salt Lake City. End of discusion.

One study has already been done on atmospheric deposition of mercury on the lake, and the levels were not particularly high (Peterson, C and Gustin, M. 2009. Mercury in the air, water and biota at the Great Salt Lake (Utah, USA). Sci. Total. Environ. 405:255-268.

On the other hand, mercury use in the gold and silver mines of Utah for the last 100 years has been extraordinarily high (Edge, CL. 2005. Selected mining districts of Utah. Utah Geological Survey Publication MP-05-5. 59 p), and is certainly another place we should be looking as a potential source for the high levels we see in the lake. The mercury may have been deposited in the Great Salt Lake 50 or a 100 years ago, and could still be recycling and influencing the lake's food web.

We need a lot more research, including air monitoring before we'll solve this mystery.

The source has been well documented. Gold mining in Nevada is the cause.

The source has been well documented. It's the secret gold mine in the Uintah Mountains.

Mag Corp., Kennecott, Energy Solutions, Stericycle and 5 Oil Refineries within a few miles of the Lake and folks think this is a mystery?

Tim - It's exactly your ignorant comment like: "I'm not interested in the facts. My mindset is immovable. This is Zion and I don't want to believe that we have the highest Mercury level content in the US for a water body." that is certainly more of the problem and is WHY we have the highest Mercury content in the US for a water body.... because people like you DO NOTHING and are ignorant to what is going on here regarding Utah's Air Quality.