Bay Area coastal fog has been found to contain high levels of mercury: https://news.ucsc.edu/2019/11/wilmers-mercury.html https://news.ucsc.edu/2019/11/wilmers-

Bay Area coastal fog has been found to contain high levels of mercury: https://news.ucsc.edu/2019/11/wilmers-mercury.html https://news.ucsc.edu/2019/11/wilmers-mercury.html > Mercury, a naturally occurring element, is released into the environment through a variety of natural processes and human activities, including mining and coal-fired power plants. "Mercury is a global pollutant," said Weiss-Penzias. "What's emitted in China can affect the United States just as much as what's emitted in the United States." > As atmospheric mercury rains down on oceans, it is converted by anaerobic bacteria in deep waters to methylmercury, the most toxic form of mercury. Upwelling brings some methylmercury to the surface, where it is released back into the atmosphere and carried by fog. At high concentrations, methylmercury can cause neurological damage, including memory loss and reduced motor coordination, and it can decrease the viability of offspring. > "Fog is a stabilizing medium for methylmercury," said Weiss-Penzias. "Fog drifts inland and rains down in microdroplets, collecting on vegetation and dripping to the ground, where the slow process of bioaccumulation begins."