Is “Karl the Fog” Trying to Kill Us?

Yet another reason why we long for sunny days.

Was Karl so upset over this summer’s record breaking heat wave that he is seeking revenge by poisoning San Franciscans? Photo credit: Ryan Lum

No. Well, maybe…

Scientists studying the fog along the California coast have discovered monomethyl mercury, a neurotoxin released partly from burning coal and other fossil fuels.

Say it isn’t so, Karl! (Photo: D.H. Parks)

Though mercury levels found are small and “walking around in it and breathing it in doesn’t seem to be a health risk,” according to Kenneth Coale of the Moss Landing Marine Laboratories and founder of the FogNet project, prolonged exposure to this, and contaminated food, drink, and other environmental influences, can raise the compound to dangerous levels in the human body.

Scientists hope that this discovery will create more awareness and better regulations from coal-fired power plants to ensure a healthier ecosystem in the future.

Hopefully this neurotoxin was unwittingly released, and not a simulated germ-warfare attack on the City of San Francisco by our own U.S. Government… because that’s already happened. Seriously.

Read more at SFGate