Why in news?
Recently, Indonesia introduced a global declaration that calls on the parties to Minamata Convention on Mercury to tackle illegal mercury trading.
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 will take place from March 21st to March 25th, 2022.
Objectives of the Declaration-
The non-binding declaration calls upon parties to,
- To develop practical tools and notification and information sharing systems for observing and managing trade in mercury.
- Exchange experiences and practices relating to combating illegal trade in mercury, along with 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.
Minamata Convention on Mercury-
- The convention is named after the Japanese city of Minamata, aimed at protecting the human health and the environment from the effects of mercury. The naming the treaty after the Japanese city was symbolic as it experienced severe incident of mercury poisoning.
- The Minamata Convention on Mercury is an international 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 Inter-governmental Negotiating Committee in Geneva, Switzerland 2013.
- Controlling the anthropogenic releases of mercury throughout its lifecycle is one of the main obligations under the Convention.
- The Convention also addresses interim storage of mercury and its disposal once it becomes waste, sites contaminated by mercury and 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 comprises controls on,
- Mercury mining,
- Disposal of mercury waste,
- The manufacture and trade of mercury and products containing mercury,
- Emissions of mercury from industrial facilities.
- Countries that have ratified the Convention are bound by international law to apply these controls.
- India has also ratified the Convention.
Properties of mercury-
- Mercury is a naturally occurring element that is found in air, water and soil.
- Exposure to mercury- Even small amounts may cause harmful 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 as well as on kidneys, lungs, skin and eyes.
- The World Health Organisation (WHO) considered the Mercury as one of the top ten chemicals or groups of chemicals of major public health concern.
- People are mostly 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 reported in the inhabitants of Minamata Bay, Japan and resulted from their eating fish contaminated with mercury industrial waste.
- This 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 create a health risk.
Types of Sources-
- Natural sources- It includes volcanic eruptions and emissions from the ocean.
- Anthropogenic (human-caused) emissions- It contains 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) is the largest source of anthropogenic mercury emissions (37.7%), followed by stationary combustion of coal (21%).
- Some other large sources of emissions are non-ferrous metals production (15%) and cement production (11%).
- World-wide, 10-20 million people work in the ASGM sector and many of them use mercury on a daily basis.
How to reduce human exposure from mercury sources?
There are many ways to prevent adverse health effects, including
- By Promoting the use of clean energy sources that do not burn coal- Burning coal for power and heat is a key source of mercury. Coal contains mercury and other hazardous air pollutants that are emitted when the coal is burned in coal fired power plants, industrial boilers and household stoves.
- Eliminate mercury mining, and use of mercury in gold extraction and other industrial processes- Mercury is an element that cannot be destroyed, so, mercury already in use can be recycled for other essential uses, with no further need for mercury mining.
- Phase out use of non-essential mercury-containing products and implement safe handling, use and disposal of remaining mercury-containing products including,
- Batteries,
- Electric switches and relays in equipment,
- Measuring devices, such as thermometers and barometers,
- Lamps (including some types of light bulbs),
- Dental amalgam (for dental fillings),
- Skin-lightening products and other cosmetics.
- In health care, mercury-containing thermometers and sphygmomanometers are being replaced by other alternative devices.
- Inorganic mercury is added to some skin-lightening products in significant amounts. Many countries have banned mercury-containing skin-lightening products because they are harmful to human health.