When the Mercury Falls: Autumn leaves taint river with poison

Fall leaves that drop into stagnant waterways could release significant doses of a highly toxic form of mercury, new research suggests.

LEAFY. Methylmercury concentrations spiked in Minnesota’s Little Cobb River after leaves fell in autumn. Balogh/Metropolitan Council Environmental Services
LEAFLESS. County Ditch 86 saw only a small rise in methylmercury.