PLUM ISLAND - Biologists studying mercury contamination on Plum Island have found unusually high levels of the dangerous element in local birds, raising questions as to whether it could end up working its way higher in the food chain and threatening humans.
Oksana Lane, a research biologist at the BioDiversity Research Institute in Gorham, Maine, has been studying mercury levels in the blood and eggs of Saltmarsh Sharp-Tailed Sparrows at locations throughout coastal New England. The study started in 2004, but lab results that came back last month showed the highest levels of mercury yet.
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