Ecology
What happens when your body is constantly exposed to mercury? To answer this question, scientists from Alaska studied Siberian husky sled dogs, which, like locals in the northern regions, eat mainly healthy foods rich in antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids, including elk meat, white-breasted bears, salmon and pike.
By comparing blood and coat samples from these sled dogs with samples of huskies from kennels that eat processed food, the researchers noticed that the level of mercury in the body system of harnessed huskies was higher is so high that the antioxidants they consumed could not cope with so much mercury. Two months later, mercury levels rose so high that it posed a serious health risk to animals and people living in the same areas.
Most of the mercury that accumulates in dogs comes from coal-fired generator stations located near the Yukon River. Mercury accumulates in the tissues of fish and animals that dogs feed on.
Although it was previously believed that wild fish species were much healthier than fish from farms, this claim is now questionable.