Mercury Pollution | 23 Mar 2022

Why in News?

Recently, Indonesia has introduced a global declaration that calls on parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury to tackle illegal trade of mercury.

• The declaration was read in Nusa Dua, Bali, where Indonesia is hosting the fourth Conference of Parties (COP4) to the Minamata Convention on Mercury.
• The conference is being held from 21^st to 25^th March 2022.

What are the Objectives of the Declaration?

The non-binding declaration calls upon parties to:

• Develop practical tools and notification and information-sharing systems for monitoring and managing trade in mercury.
• Exchange experiences and practices relating to combating illegal trade in mercury, including reducing the use of mercury in artisanal and small-scale gold mining.
• Share examples of national legislation and data and information related to such trade.

What is the Minamata Convention on Mercury?

• The Minamata Convention on Mercury is a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury and its compounds.
• It was agreed at the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee in Geneva, Switzerland 2013.
• Controlling the anthropogenic releases of mercury throughout its lifecycle is one of the key obligations under the Convention.
• The Convention also addresses interim storage of mercury and its disposal once it becomes waste, sites contaminated by mercury as well as health issues.
• The Convention covers all aspects of the life cycle of mercury, controlling and reducing mercury across a range of products, processes and industries. This includes controls on:
  • mercury mining
  • the manufacture and trade of mercury and products containing mercury
  • disposal of mercury waste
  • emissions of mercury from industrial facilities.
• Countries that have ratified the Convention are bound by international law to put these controls in place.
  • India has ratified the Convention.

What do we know about Mercury?

• About:
  • Mercury is a naturally occurring element that is found in air, water and soil.
  • Exposure to mercury – even small amounts – may cause serious health problems, and is a threat to the development of the child in utero and early in life.
  • Mercury may have toxic effects on the nervous, digestive and immune systems, and on lungs, kidneys, skin and eyes.
  • Mercury is considered by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as one of the top ten chemicals or groups of chemicals of major public health concern.
  • People are mainly exposed to methylmercury, (an organic compound) when they eat fish and shellfish and are more vulnerable to Minamata disease.
    • Minamata Disease: A disorder caused by methylmercury poisoning that was first described in the inhabitants of Minamata Bay, Japan and resulted from their eating fish contaminated with mercury industrial waste.
      • The disease is characterized by peripheral sensory loss, tremors, and both hearing and visual loss.
    • Methylmercury is very different from ethylmercury. Ethylmercury is used as a preservative in some vaccines and does not pose a health risk.
• Types of Sources:
  • Natural sources: Volcanic eruptions and emissions from the ocean.
  • Anthropogenic (human-caused) emissions: It includes mercury that is released from fuels or raw materials, or from uses in products or industrial processes.
    • Globally, Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM): It is the largest source of anthropogenic mercury emissions (37.7%), followed by stationary combustion of coal (21%).
    • Other large sources of emissions are non-ferrous metals production (15%) and cement production (11%).
    • Globally, 10-20 million people work in the ASGM sector and many of them use mercury on a daily basis.

Source: DTE