Worldwide Mercury Pollution to be Curbed by Minamata Convention

Reports say that the use of the toxic heavy metal, mercury is to be regulated by the Minamata Convention that was drawn up in Geneva, Switzerland in January of this year. The treaty took four years of negotiations and will set down new regulations with respect to issues surrounding mercury pollution globally. It also covers mercury mining and storage, as well as its importation and exportation. This particular set of legally binding measures is designed to curb mercury pollution in the world. And it still needs to be ratified by 50 countries in a ceremony that will be held in Japan in October this year.

The treaty is a global response to a persistent problem concerning a notorious metal that has caused much damage to the health and well-being of humans, according to Achim Steiner, the Executive Director of the UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme).

Harmful element

Mercury is a silvery white metal that has been recognized as a pollutant for more than a hundred years now. It is liquid form in room temperature and evaporates very easily. Mercury is found in limestone and coal as well as in cinnabar deposits. According to a United Nations study mercury emissions have been rising particularly in developing nations. It has been determined that almost half of the annual mercury emissions in the world come from the efforts of Southeast Asian nations at industrialization.

Mercury has adverse effects on human organs particularly the brain and the nervous system. The damage from mercury poisoning could be permanent not just to the nervous system but to the pulmonary, renal, digestive, and immune systems as well. Younger persons are also more vulnerable to mercury poisoning compared to adults. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) mercury also poses a serious threat to the unborn child and to early child development.

Mercury pollution

Minamata is a city in Japan and is the site of one of the worst cases of mercury poisoning that the world has ever known. It was here that serious damage to people’s health occurred due to mercury pollution sometime in the middle of the 20th century. Mercury concentrations increase as it moves up to the top of the food chain. The highest levels are found in predator fish species that may be consumed by human beings.

The Minamata Convention

The treaty also covers a ban on various consumer products including cosmetics, soaps, compact fluorescent lamps and certain types of batteries. The main objective of the treaty is decreasing the amount of the toxic material that is released into the environment. Certain industrial activities release the toxic element into the environment. These include mining, production of cement and burning of fossil fuels. Mercury persists in water, soil, in the air, and in living things as well.

UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner says that many people will benefit from the output of the Convention, especially workers in gold mines and people residing in the Arctic. He said that the effects will be felt not just by this generation but also generations to come.