Question

Name the disease caused by biomagnification of mercury in fishes.

Answer 1

Biomagnification: It is the phenomenon by which the concentration of a toxic chemical increases in the body of an organism with an increase in the trophic level.

1. The disease caused by the Biomagnification of mercury in fishes is Minamata disease.
2. Fishes living in waters polluted with mercury have concentrations of mercury in their body due to the consumption of small fishes, insects, and planktons that consume the mercury-rich water.
3. Minamata disease is characterized by ataxia, numbness in the hands and feet, general muscle weakness, loss of peripheral vision, and damage to hearing and speech. It eventually leads to paralysis followed by death.