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Mercury
: a worldwide danger
By: Nicole Siméon, Panos Institute
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Nairobi, 4 February 2003 (Panos). The upward
trend of production and use of mercury are becoming more and more
serious. In terms of environmental protection, this metal represents
an increasing danger for the planet.
The research report presented on Monday 3 February concerning the
impact of mercury on human beings and on the environment leaves
no doubt about the seriousness of the problem: mercury kills. This
report, written by a team of international experts, is unique in
its field, according to executives of UNEP. The report enables us
to assess the risk of mercury poisoning based on either natural
or manufactural production.
Mercury represents great danger because while producing it, it also
generates other harmful substances, which increase its devastating
impact. According to Mr. James B. Wills, director of chemical issues
and concerns at UNEP in Geneva, women and children are especially
exposed to mercury poisoning.
Moreover, dependent on life style, entire communities are vulnerable,
especially those with a fishing-based economy. Once in the water,
mercury turns into methyl-mercury, an " extremely toxic "
substance that accumulates in the tissues of fish and other seafood,
in consequence making them very harmful to man. " Predatory
species of fish, which rank high in the food pyramid, are generally
the most contaminated, " the report underlined.
Sources of mercury production
Mercury is found in nature. It is released from rocks and soils
into the environment. Volcanic eruptions represent one of the sources
of mercury in nature. Its impact is enormous in view that "
this heavy metal can travel thousands of kilometers and contaminate
areas far away from the emission source".
Other sources are industrial and are as dangerous, if not more.
Very often people are not even aware of this type of poisoning.
For example, Mr. Wills talked about the power plants using charcoal
and the refuse incinerators which discharge into the atmosphere
a quantity of mercury equivalent to 1500 tons per year. Many believe
that this figure could be revised upwards " since the use of
fossil fuels is increasing due to higher demand from both developed
or developing countries".
Nevertheless, the dangers represented by mercury concerns poor countries
in the third world as much as other countries, especially with regard
to their " choices in what to import". According to Mr.
Wills, children's sneakers with luminous signs, highly advertised
and commercialized, are a certain production source of this metal.
It is true that poor countries rush into such " new fashion
statements " without asking questions on the potential risks
that they run.
The report also names other sources like dental fillings, certain
skin-bleaching lotions and soaps, pharmaceutical products containing
preservation elements based on mercury, cement plants, thermometers,
garbage dumps containing used batteries and toxic waste containing
mercury, fluorescent lamps, etc. The list is long.
" Throughout the world, many persons suffer the impact of discoveries
and inventions with which they have no relation. They are victims
of the voracity of the large producing countries ", the Environment
Minister of Uganda and new president of the governing council, Mr.
Ruhakana Ruganda, said.
Children are the most vulnerable due to the immaturity of their
immune system. According to Mr. Ruganda it would be highly justified
to establish procedures that can reduce the production of mercury.
In the report, the international experts make recommendations to
the council so that they can take the necessary steps leading to
concrete action, based on the awareness of those concerned.
Real Risks
" Due to human activity, the atmospheric rate of mercury has
multiplied by three since the pre-industrial age ", the report
tells. Mercury, including toxic substances that derive from it,
can affect, in mid or long term depending on the concentration of
the substance in the organism, the functioning of the brain and
cause problems such as, irritability, shaking, poor sight, memory
loss, etc.
Recent scientific observations demonstrate a link between exposure
to mercury and certain cardiovascular problems. Other effects have
been diagnosed at the level of the thyroid gland, which regulates
growth, the digestive system, the kidney and the skin.
Solving the problem
In terms of developing a general policy for the eradication of mercury
production in human activities, the preparation of legal tools would
be best, especially those enforceable in the short term, Mr. Toepfer,
Executive Director of UNEP said. He admitted that developing a treaty
or a convention takes a lot of time and would cost between 10 to
12 billion dollars.
Therefore, the leaders of UNEP acknowledge that an emergency action
plan is needed, based on using available resources. This cannot
solve the problem completely, but at least dwindle it. This would
be the more economical way to go.
"The attitude to adopt " Mr. Wills said, " is to
look for solutions to the problem in a general way and not in an
exclusive or transversal way. We should move to the production of
geothermic energy, which conforms more to the survival of the environment
and we should offer poor countries, through collaborative projects
with UNEP, those things which may appear to them to be a luxury.
"
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