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Methylmercury Is an Organic Mercury Compound That Is a Waste

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Methylmercury is an organic mercury compound that is a waste product of industrial processes and also results from the burning of fossil fuels. Methylmercury has been shown to increase up food chains by biomagnification. Bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) can have tissue concentrations of methylmercury of 0.69 ppm (parts per million). Assuming a food web that starts with phytoplankton (0.00069 ppm) and a 10-fold biomagnification from each level in the food chain to the next level, calculate the concentration of methylmercury at each level in the food chain. How many levels are there in the food chain, including the phytoplankton and the tuna?


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