Scientists study levels of toxic mercury in Antarctic mammals

Marine biologists collect skin samples from humpback whales and leopard seals in the Antarctic to detect the presence of mercury in their bodies. One of the Colombian marine biologists is studying the impact of mercury, used in activities such as mining thousands of kilometers away, on Antarctica's large mammals.

The toxic heavy metal is believed to reach the ocean through rivers or rain, after it evaporates into the air. The United Nation's Global Mercury Partnership warns that marine mammals are particularly in danger of contamination by the metal because they are at the top of the food chain. According to UN environmental agency, if an animal consumes mercury, it may suffer reproductive failure, behavioral changes and may even die.