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34
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Introduction
Dr. Mi-Ling Li is an environmental scientist with broad interests in the linkages between aquatic ecosystems and human health. I develop and use novel tools for assessing pollution sources and investigating foraging habitats and migration patterns of animals.
Additional affiliations
July 2016 - August 2017
September 2011 - May 2016
August 2008 - August 2011
Publications
Publications (34)
Global pollution has exacerbated accumulation of toxicants like methylmercury (MeHg) in seafood. Human exposure to MeHg has been associated with long-term neurodevelopmental delays and impaired cardiovascular health, while many micronutrients in seafood are beneficial to health. The largest MeHg exposure source for many general populations originat...
High levels of methylmercury (MeHg) have been reported in Arctic marine biota, posing health risks to wildlife and human beings. Although MeHg concentrations of some Arctic species have been monitored for decades, the key environmental and ecological factors driving temporal trends of MeHg are largely unclear. We develop an ecosystem-based MeHg bio...
Monitoring mercury (Hg) levels in biota is considered an important objective for the effectiveness evaluation of the Minamata Convention. While many studies have characterized Hg levels in organisms at multiple spatiotemporal scales, concentration analyses alone often cannot provide sufficient information on the Hg exposure sources and internal pro...
Nearshore systems play an important role as mercury (Hg) sources to the open ocean and to human health via fish consumption. The nearshore system along East Asia is of particular concern given the rapid industrialization, which contributes to significant anthropogenic Hg emissions and releases. We used Hg stable isotopes to characterize Hg sources...
Selenium (Se), which can be both hazardous and beneficial to plants, animals and humans, plays a pivotal role in regulating soil-plant-human ecosystem functions. The biogeochemical behavior of Se and its environmental impact on the soil-plant-human system has received broad attention in the last decades. This review provides a comprehensive underst...
Marine fisheries in African waters contribute substantially to food security and local economies in African coastal nations. Recently, there are growing concerns about the sustainability of living marine resources in these countries’ exclusive economic zones (EEZs) due to increased risks from climate change, pollution and potential over‐exploitatio...
Early-career scientists from the AGU Mentoring Network discuss how the global pandemic has exacerbated long-standing issues with the availability of positions in and the diversity of the geosciences.
By Miling Li, Nicholas A. Sutfin, Margaret Christie, Maheshwari Neelam, and James A. Bradley 6 November 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically s...
Mercury isotope ratios in fish tissues have been used to infer sources and biogeochemical processes of mercury in aquatic ecosystems. More experimental studies are however needed to understand the internal dynamics of mercury isotopes and to further assess the feasibility of using fish mercury isotope ratios as a monitoring tool. We exposed Olive f...
Industrial lead (Pb) emissions have changed oceanic Pb concentrations and isotopic compositions significantly over the last century. Asian industrial emissions are currently the dominant Pb sources in the northwest and central Pacific Ocean. This study investigated major Pb sources in the northeast Pacific Ocean (inland, coastal, and open ocean), w...
High exposures of mammalian species to inorganic mercury (HgII) and methylmercury (MeHg) have been associated with adverse effects on behavior and reproduction. Different mammalian species exhibit varying responses to similar external exposure levels, reflecting potential differences in Hg toxicokinetics. Here, we use Hg stable isotopes, total Hg,...
The distributions of primary amino acids, MeHg and IHg in body tissues of two commonly farm-raised fish species (common carp: Cyprinus carpio; grass carp: Ctenopharyngodon idellus) in Guizhou Province, SW China, were investigated to understand the effects of primary amino acids on MeHg and IHg metabolism in farm-raised fish. The primary amino acids...
Exposure to poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) has been linked to many negative health impacts in humans and wildlife. Unlike neutral hydrophobic organic pollutants, many PFASs are ionic and have been hypothesized to accumulate in both phospholipids and protein-rich tissues. Here we investigate the role of phospholipids for PFAS accumulati...
Methylmercury (MeHg) is a central nervous system toxicant and exposures can adversely affect the health of marine mammals. Mercuric selenide (HgSe) in marine mammal tissues is hypothesized to result from a protective detoxification mechanism, but toxicokinetic processes contributing to its formation are poorly understood. Here, new data is reported...
Rapid developments in the emerging field of urban geochemistry warrant the use of trace element and isotopic analyses on a number of key bioindicators to determine source apportionment, transport, and fate of (heavy) metal pollutants. Honey from the European honey bee (Apis mellifera) has long been used as a bioindicator to assess environmental exp...
Pelagic ecosystems are changing due to environmental and anthropogenic forces, with uncertain consequences for the ocean’s top predators. Epipelagic and mesopelagic prey resources differ in quality and quantity, but their relative contribution to predator diets has been difficult to track. We measured mercury (Hg) stable isotopes in young (<2 years...
[This corrects the article DOI: https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP2644.].
Background:
Methylmercury (MeHg) exposure is associated with adverse effects on neurodevelopment and cardiovascular health. Previous work indicates most MeHg is from marine fish sold in the commercial market, but does not fully resolve supply regions globally. This information is critical for linking changes in environmental MeHg levels to human e...
Exposure to contaminants in fish may be associated with adverse health outcomes even as fish consumption is generally considered beneficial. Risk assessments conducted to support regulatory analyses rely on quantitative fish consumption estimates. Here we report the results of a national survey of high-frequency fish consumers (n = 2099) based on a...
Developing Canadian hydroelectric resources is a key component of North American plans for meeting future energy demands. Microbial production of the bioaccumulative neurotoxin methylmercury (MeHg) is stimulated in newly flooded soils by degradation of labile organic carbon and associated changes in geochemical conditions. We find all 22 Canadian h...
Methylmercury (MeHg) exposure can cause adverse reproductive and neurodevelopmental health effects. Estuarine fish may be exposed to MeHg produced in the terrestrial environment, benthic sediment and the marine water column but the relative importance of each source is poorly understood. We measured stable isotopes of mercury (δ²⁰²Hg, Δ¹⁹⁹Hg, and Δ...
Abstract Methylmercury (MeHg) exposure can cause adverse health effects in children and adults and is predominantly from seafood consumption in the United States (U.S.). Here we examine evidence for differences in MeHg uptake and metabolism in U.S. individuals who consume three or more fish meals per week. We hypothesized based on prior research th...
Seafood consumption is the primary route of methylmercury (MeHg) exposure for most populations. Inherent uncertainties in dietary survey data point to the need for an empirical tool to confirm exposure sources. We therefore explore the utility of Hg stable isotope ratios in human hair as a new method for discerning MeHg exposure sources. We charact...
This research examined the interaction between dissolved copper and phosphorus, with respect to their effects on the freshwater amphipod Hyalella azteca feeding on periphyton. Field-collected periphyton communities were exposed to different nutrient and metal conditions in indoor recirculating streams. H. azteca were then exposed to water and perip...
Eutrophication is known to be frequently associated with metal pollution in aquatic ecosystems. This research examined the interaction between dissolved copper and phosphorus, with respect to their effects on the growth of a freshwater amphipod Hyalella azteca feeding on periphyton. The study design included two tiers: (1) a laboratory stream exper...