<p>
	&nbsp;</p>
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	<h2 style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit;">
		<font size="4" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit;"><b style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit;">BEFORE YOU START</b></font></h2>
	<p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit;">
		&nbsp;</p>
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		<a name="TOC-Key-Ideas-Introduced-in-this-Unit:" style="color: rgb(78, 125, 191);"></a>Key Ideas Introduced in this Unit:</h3>
	<ul>
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			Mercury is toxic in small quantities and is toxic to humans.</li>
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			There are a good number of environmental sources and hazards associated with mercury.</li>
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			Mercury occurs in three forms in nature&mdash;elemental (Hg<sup>0</sup>), gaseous (Hg<sup>2+</sup>), methylmercury (MeHg or CH<sub>3</sub>Hg).</li>
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			Methylmercury is the byproduct of metabolism by anaerobic bacteria, typically living in an acidic environment with access to carbon and sulfur. Methylmercury can be absorbed by living things and it bioaccumulates.</li>
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			In Maine and the Northeast most of the mercury that gets into the food web comes through the air from coal burning plants used to generate electricity.</li>
	</ul>
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		<a name="TOC-Concepts-Relationships:" style="color: rgb(78, 125, 191);"></a>Concepts &amp; Relationships:</h3>
	<p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit;">
		Jumping down to a lower level of detail, students should have command of a number of concepts and relationships at the end of this unit. They will need this understanding in order to work successfully in the units that follow.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
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		Students should be able to:</p>
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			Compare mercury concentrations measured in ppb and ppm and know the difference</li>
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			Convert units such as &mu;g/g to ppb or ppm</li>
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			Have a general idea of typical mercury concentrations in fish muscle tissue</li>
		<li style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit; list-style-type: none;">
			Have a general notion of what a high level of mercury would be in a fish or in human hair</li>
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			Identify the different forms of mercury and where they come from</li>
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			Connect the principal factors in mercury transport and deposition in a way that enables them to answer simple questions about the kinds of conditions that typically result in more mercury deposition in a watershed</li>
	</ul>
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		<a name="TOC-Vocabulary:" style="color: rgb(78, 125, 191);"></a>Vocabulary:</h3>
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			Anaerobic bacteria&mdash;bacteria which live in an environment devoid of oxygen</li>
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			Bioaccumulation&mdash;the amount of a substance (such as mercury) magnifies as it moves up the food chain</li>
		<li style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit; list-style-type: none;">
			Concentration&mdash;a measure of the amount of dissolved substance contained per unit of volume</li>
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			Emissions&mdash;discharges, such as from a smokestack</li>
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			Methylmercury&mdash;the byproduct of metabolism by anaerobic bacteria, typically living in an acidic environment with access to carbon and sulfur</li>
		<li style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit; list-style-type: none;">
			Toxicity--the degree to which something is poisonous</li>
	</ul>
	<h3 style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit;">
		<a name="TOC-Student-Prerequisites:" style="color: rgb(78, 125, 191);"></a>Student Prerequisites:</h3>
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		<li style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit; list-style-type: none;">
			How to measure volume and square inches</li>
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			Parts of a circle</li>
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			Proportions</li>
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			Averages</li>
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			Ranges</li>
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			Computer skills</li>
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			Library skills</li>
	</ul>
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		<a name="TOC-Misconceptions-about-mercury:" style="color: rgb(78, 125, 191);"></a><font size="3" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit;"><b style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit;">Misconceptions about mercury:</b></font></h3>
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			It&rsquo;s OK to play with it</li>
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			It isn&rsquo;t a problem in Maine&nbsp;</li>
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			A little bit is not dangerous&nbsp;</li>
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			Mercury in the environment is not related to personal health&nbsp;</li>
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			It&rsquo;s OK to eat all kinds of fish any time.</li>
	</ul>
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