Global Agreement on Mercury Pollution - Background Information

- The Governing Council considered the assessment at its 22nd session in February 2003, and:

- concluded that there was sufficient evidence of significant global adverse impacts from mercury and its compounds to warrant further international action to reduce the risks to human health and the environment

- decided that national, regional and global actions, both immediate and long-term, should be initiated as soon as possible.

- urged all countries to adopt goals and take national actions, as appropriate, with the objective of identifying exposed populations and ecosystems, and reducing anthropogenic mercury releases that impact human health and the environment.

- requested UNEP to initiate technical assistance and capacity building activities to support the efforts of countries to take action regarding mercury pollution

- In 2005, the Governing Council, included the possibility of a legally binding instrument as in its consideration of actions to deal with the significant global adverse impacts of mercury. Governing Council also:

- requested UNEP to develop a report on the supply, trade and demand for mercury on the global market

- called for partnerships between Governments and other stakeholders as one approach to reducing risks to human health and the environment from the release of mercury and its compounds to the environment

- encouraged Governments, the private sector and international organizations to take immediate actions to reduce the risks to human health and the environment posed on a global scale by mercury in products and production processes.

- In February 2007, Governing Council recognised that efforts to reduce risks from mercury were not sufficient to address the global challenges posed by mercury and concluded that further long term international action is required. It called for a review and assessment of the options of enhanced voluntary measures and new or existing international legal instruments in order to make progress in addressing this issue. It also

- called for strengthening of the UNEP mercury programme partnerships; and

- established an ad hoc open-ended working group of Governments, regional economic integration organizations and stakeholder representatives to review and assess options for enhanced voluntary measures and new or existing international legal instruments. The open ended working group will report to the GC at its twenty-fifth session of the in 2009.

Mercury has been used in various products and processes for hundreds of years due to its unique chemical properties

Mercury and mercury-containing compounds are highly toxic and have a variety of significant adverse effects on human health, wildlife and the environment.

- In the human body, mercury damages the central nervous system, thyroid, kidneys, lungs, immune system, eyes, gums, and skin

- Neurological damage done by mercury that has reached the brain cannot be reversed. There is no known safe exposure level for elemental mercury in humans, and effects can be seen even at very low levels.

- In recent years, environmental mercury levels have increased.

Once released, mercury can persist in the environment where it can circulate between air, water, sediments, soil and biota in various forms. Atmospheric mercury can be transported long distances in the atmosphere, incorporated by microorganisms and may be concentrated up the food chain. The most common exposure to mercury is through ingestion of fish and other marine species contaminated with methyl-mercury.

- Localized hot spots exist from use of mercury in industrial processes, mining, waste sites, and other air emission point sources.

Arstisanal and small scale gold mining uses mercury to collect gold from the ore. The mercury/gold amalgam is then burnt to release the mercury and leave molten gold. This is often done without any protective equipment or way of collecting the mercury, and can lead to local and widespread poisoning of the environment, workers and their families. This industry is expanding due to the rising price of gold, and involves an estimate 10 to 15 million miners worldwide, including 4.5 million women and 1 million children.

Many mercury-containing devises are produced using methods which result in major releases of mercury to the environment.

Visit the Global Mercury Assessment Report site.

Source: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Press release.