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Table of Contents
Introduction
Introduction
Mercury is an example of heavy metals with serious health consequences for humans and wildlife.
Long-Lasting Pollution
Long-Lasting Pollution
"Mercury persists in the environment for long periods by cycling back and forth between the air and soil, all the while changing chemical forms. Atmospheric lifetimes of inorganic elemental mercury are estimated to be up to two years, while organic methylmercury may stay in the soils for decades. Mercury is never removed from the environment; it is just moved to other locations and eventually buried under soils and sediments." - New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services: Mercury: Sources, Transport, Deposition and Impacts
Most Human Samples Showed High Mercury
Most Human Samples Showed High Mercury
"Human hair samples collected from around the world regularly exceed concentrations equivalent to the U.S. EPA reference dose. A total of 82% of the hair samples collected exceeded this concentration (1.0 parts per million)." - Global Mercury Hotspots New Evidence Reveals Mercury Contamination Regularly Exceeds Health Advisory Levels in Humans and Fish Worldwide
High Levels of Mercury In Popular Baby Foods
High Levels of Mercury In Popular Baby Foods
"Several brands of widely sold baby foods have been found to be tainted with dangerous levels of toxic heavy metals, including arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury, according to an earlier subcommittee investigation. The panel examined internal test results and documents from four baby food brands, and found all four were tainted with heavy metals.
“This is what happens when you let the food and chemical companies, not the FDA, decide whether our food is safe to eat,” said Scott Faber, EWG’s senior vice president for government affairs. “For too long, the FDA has allowed food and chemical companies to exploit loopholes to taint our food with ‘forever chemicals,’ jet fuel and toxic metals like lead and arsenic.”" - EWG
Dangers of Mercury
Dangers of Mercury
Human Health
Human Health
"Health concerns in the United States center on human consumption of fish contaminated with methyl mercury. Neurotoxicity is the most important health concern associated with mercury exposure. Methylmercury easily reaches the bloodstream and is distributed to all tissues, and can cross the normally protective blood-brain barrier and enter the brain. It can also readily move through the placenta to developing fetuses and their developing brains, and is therefore a particular concern to pregnant women and women of childbearing age. Low-level exposure is linked to learning disabilities in children and interference with reproduction in fish-eating animals. Mercury exposure in humans can also lead to a variety of other negative health effects, including neurological, kidney, gastrointestinal, genetic, cardiovascular and developmental disorders, and even death. ... methylmercury inhibits the normal development of the nervous system in young children and fetuses..." - New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services: Mercury: Sources, Transport, Deposition and Impacts
Wildlife
Wildlife
Fish-Eating Birds
Fish-Eating Birds
"In addition to the effect on humans, fish-consuming wildlife such as loons, eagles and otters are also at risk from mercury contamination. Reproductive problems are the primary concern for birds suffering from mercury poisoning. Other mercury effects in birds and mammals include liver damage, kidney damage, and neurobehavioral effects." - New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services: Mercury: Sources, Transport, Deposition and Impacts
Otters
Otters
Sources of Mercury
Sources of Mercury
Fish
Fish
"A high percentage (84%) of the fish sampled from around the world contained mercury concentrations that exceed fish consumption guidelines based on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (U.S. EPA) reference dose for mercury exposure in humans." - Global Mercury Hotspots New Evidence Reveals Mercury Contamination Regularly Exceeds Health Advisory Levels in Humans and Fish Worldwide
"Mercury is a persistent, bioaccumulative, toxic pollutant. When released into the environment, it accumulates in water laid sediments where it converts into toxic methylmercury and enters the food chain. Mercury contamination is a significant public health and environmental problem because methylmercury easily enters the bloodstream and affects the brain. Due to decades of mercury deposition, mercury contamination in freshwater fish is widespread and significant enough to warrant fish consumption advisories in all 50 states. Mercury concentrations tend to be higher in larger, older fish and in fish from tea-colored and relatively acidic waters." - New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services: Mercury: Sources, Transport, Deposition and Impacts
Fossil Fuels
Fossil Fuels
Coal Plants
Coal Plants
"According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2014 National Emissions Inventory report, power plants that burn coal to create electricity are the largest source of emissions; they account for about 42% of all manmade mercury emissions." - New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services: Mercury: Sources, Transport, Deposition and Impacts
Coal Plants Pollute Food Crops
Coal Plants Pollute Food Crops
"Mercury contamination in food can pose serious health risks to consumers and coal-fired power plants have been identified as the major source of mercury emissions. To assess the current state of mercury pollution in food crops grown near coal-fired power plants, we measured the total mercury concentration in vegetables and grain crops collected from farms located near two coal-fired power plants. We found that 79% of vegetable samples and 67% of grain samples exceeded the PTWI’s food safety standards. The mercury concentrations of soil samples were negatively correlated with distances from the studied coal-fired power plants, and the mercury contents in lettuce, amaranth, water spinach, cowpea and rice samples were correlated with the mercury contents in soil samples, respectively. Also, the mercury concentrations in vegetable leaves were much higher than those in roots and the mercury content of vegetable leaves decreased significantly after water rinses. Our calculation suggests that probable weekly intake of mercury for local residents, assuming all of their vegetables and grains are from their own farmland, may exceed the toxicologically tolerable values allowed, and therefore long-term consumptions of these contaminated vegetables and grains may pose serious health risks." - Mercury Pollution in Vegetables, Grains and Soils from Areas Surrounding Coal-Fired Power Plants
Oil Refineries
Oil Refineries
"Oil refining emits and releases mercury, as oil deposits are known to contain mercury, generally at low concentrations. Mercury is removed from most petroleum products and natural gas prior to combustion, and therefore combustion-related emissions are low. Most of the mercury in crude oil is associated with solid waste that is disposed of in landfills. However, emissions and releases during refining of crude oil do occur and these have been quantified for the first time in the 2010 inventory. The inventory does not quantify other emissions and releases during oil and gas extraction and transport or from flaring.
Unintentional mercury emissions from these sectors can be reduced by the application of pollution control measures at power plants and industrial plants. Some of the mercury captured is refined and enters the commercial supply chain; however, large amounts of mercury captured in materials such as fly ash and oil refinery waste need to be disposed of. Some of the resulting wastes are themselves used as raw materials, for example in construction materials, but large amounts are disposed of in landfills, which can thus become a potential source of mercury emissions and releases. (GMA, 2013)
Mercury emissions to air, from oil and gas burning and refining account for around 2% of global emissions (GMA 2013).
Oil and gas extraction, transport, and processing is still however not yet quantified, globally." - Zero Mercury: Oil and Gas
Burning
Burning
Cremation
Cremation
Cremation is increasingly gaining popularity even in societies where religious influence on cremation is not high, due to space limitations for cemeteries. Most of the mercury released during cremation is due to the vaporisation of dental amalgam fillings that contain mercury.
The typical cremation process includes the charging of the coffin and corpse, incineration in the main combustion chamber and, where applicable, final treatment in the afterburning chamber. Most cremation furnaces are fired using oil or natural gas, although some operate on electricity.
Most crematoria around the world still have no controls on emissions, although legislation is increasing because for instance in the Netherlands, the average number of fillings is expected to increase from 3.2 to 5.1 during the period 1995-2020 (OSPAR, 2002). This means that the emissions from cremations in the Netherlands will double between 2002 and 2020, unless abatement measures are introduced.
In the UK it has been calculated that by 2020 crematoria will be by far the largest single contributor to mercury emissions (just over 25% of the UK mercury emissions to air) unless action is taken (AEA, 2004)." - Zero Mercury: Mercury in Processes: Crematoria
Forest Fires
Forest Fires
Volcanic Activity, Rocks & Soil
Volcanic Activity, Rocks & Soil
Mercury is naturally occurring.
Cement production
Cement production
"The raw materials such as lime, coal and oil that are used for cement production usually contain trace concentrations of mercury. In addition, solid residues from other sectors such as fly ash and gypsum often used as raw materials for cement production contain mercury as well. Also the waste that is sometimes used as fuel in cement manufacturing may significantly increase the total input of mercury to cement production.
Sometimes the use of materials with low concentrations of mercury could lead to significantly high releases of mercury into the atmosphere if the consumption of these materials is in very large quantities.
Emissions from cement production amount to 9.8% of the global mercury emissions to air." - Zero Mercury: Cement Production
Mining
Mining
"Between 10 million and 20 million miners in more than 70 countries work in artisanal and small-scale gold mining, including up to 5 million women and children. These operations, which are often unregulated and unsafe, generate 37 per cent of global mercury pollution (838 tonnes a year) – more than any other sector. Miners use mercury, which binds to gold particles in ores, to create what are known as amalgams. These are then heated to evaporate the mercury, leaving behind gold but releasing toxic vapours. Studies indicate that up to 33 per cent of artisanal miners suffer from moderate metallic mercury vapor intoxication.
Most informal sites lack the funding and training needed to transition towards mercury-free mining. Despite accounting for 20 per cent of the global gold supply and generating approximately US$30 billion annually, artisanal miners typically sell gold at around 70 per cent of its global market value. Additionally, with many gold mines located in rural and remote areas, miners seeking loans are often restricted to predatory interest rates from illegal sources, pushing demand for mercury." - UNEP: Mercury Has Long Poisoned Gold Miners New Strategy Helping Change
Personal Care Items
Personal Care Items
"“The skin-lightening industry is rooted in racism and colonization” said Micaela E. Martinez, Ph.D., Director of Environmental Health, WE ACT for Environmental Justice. “Much of this comes from the normalization of Euro-centric beauty standards around the world, coupled with deliberate marketing of harmful products to people of color to fulfill these standards.”
Despite national governments and Minamata Convention bans, however, mercury SLPs continue to be sold around the globe, both in local markets/stores and on the internet. This is due in large part to the lack of a national sales ban and coordinated enforcement, particularly of illegal and toxic online sales by E-commerce giants like Amazon and eBay, and third-party vendors." - Support Grows for Ending Sales of Mercury Skin Lighteners on International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination
Pesticides
Pesticides
Mercury has been included in pesticides, including seed treatment.
Phenyl Mercuric Acetate (PMA)
Phenyl Mercuric Acetate (PMA)
"Phenyl mercuric acetate (PMA) and similar mercury compounds have been widely used as water-based paint additives, and may still be used in some countries. These compounds were used as “in-can” preservatives to extend the shelf life by controlling bacterial fermentation in the can (biocides), as well as to retard fungus attacks on painted surfaces under damp conditions (fungicides).
Inorganic mercury compounds of very low solubility have also been used as additives in marine coatings and paints to impede bacteria formation and to hinder the development of marine organisms. This use is believed to have been largely discontinued by the mid-1970s (US DOC, as cited in NJ MTF, 2002)." - Zero Mercury: Paints and Varnishes
Waste Management
Waste Management
Waste Incineration
Waste Incineration
"Waste incineration contributes to the unintentional releases of mercury into the atmosphere.
Most of the mercury from wastes that are incinerated is thermally released during the combustion process and emitted directly into the atmosphere, with most of it returning to the earth through rain or dry deposition. Normally, the mercury content in the medical, hazardous, sewage sludge and municipal solid waste streams originates from discarded products and chemicals that contain or contaminated with mercury such as paint residues, discarded electrical equipment, thermometers, pharmaceuticals, fluorescent lamps, dental amalgam waste, batteries, and laboratory chemicals among others.
The mercury content in the general waste stream originates from three main groups of inputs:
intentionally used mercury in discarded products;
natural mercury impurities in high-volume materials (plastics, paper, etc.) and minerals;
mercury as a human-generated trace pollutant in high-volume (e.g. recycled) materials.
The mercury concentrations in the waste stream are directly dependent on the inputs of mercury to the waste. If possible, mercury sources should be separated from the mainstream waste before incineration. An issue that causes concern is the disposal of the residual ash that most surely contains mercury (if the waste incinerated contained or were contaminated with mercury) as well as the mercury that is entrapped in the pollution control systems. Mercury-containing waste should never be burned or incinerated unless special flue gas controls are in place to capture the mercury." - Zero Mercury: Waste Incineration
Solutions
Solutions
Global Management & Interventions
Global Management & Interventions
The Minamata Convention on Mercury
The Minamata Convention on Mercury
"The Minamata Convention on Mercury is the most recent global agreement on environment and health, adopted in 2013. It is named after the bay in Japan where, in the mid-20th century, mercury-tainted industrial wastewater poisoned thousands of people, leading to severe health damage that became known as the "Minamata disease."
Since it entered into force on 16 August 2017, Parties have been working together to control the mercury supply and trade, reduce the use, emission and release of mercury, raise public awareness, and build the necessary institutional capacity to #MakeMercuryHistory" - Minamata Convention on Mercury
EU Laws
EU Laws
"In the EU, the sale and use of pesticides based on mercury compounds for plant protection are prohibited by Directive 2009/128/EU and its amendments. This also applies to seed treatment.
The prohibition of the manufacture, export and import of mercury added biocides, after 31.12.2020, is covered by the Mercury Regulation (EU) 2017/852 which complements a large body of existing EU environmental law on mercury." - Zero Mercury: Pesticides
Improve Economic Opportunities & Security for Women
Improve Economic Opportunities & Security for Women
"Local savings and credit groups, like Orobio’s, have been a boon to rural and remote communities. Providing women with greater financial agency can help them foster safe mining practices and lessen their reliance on the mining sector." - UNEP: Mercury Has Long Poisoned Gold Miners New Strategy Helping Change
Avoid or Reduce Seafood Consumption
Avoid or Reduce Seafood Consumption
Since fish and other seafood are the most common sources of mercury poisoning in humans, reducing or eliminating them from our diets is one of the best ways to reduce exposure.
Seafood Alternatives
Seafood Alternatives
For those who enjoy seafood or eat seafood for cultural reasons, plant-based seafood alternatives can be just as tasty, but with less pollutants and more sustainable ingredients.
Plant-Based Alternatives
Plant-Based Alternatives
Approximately 1/3rd of the global fish catch (or bycatch) is fed to livestock, increasing the risk of pollution bioaccumulating in animal products.
Remove Mercury from Beauty Products
Remove Mercury from Beauty Products
Soil Testing
Soil Testing
"Atmospheric lifetimes of inorganic elemental mercury are estimated to be up to two years, while organic methylmercury may stay in the soils for decades. Mercury is never removed from the environment; it is just moved to other locations and eventually buried under soils and sediments." -New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services: Mercury: Sources, Transport, Deposition and Impacts
Crops are not a major source of mercury poisoning, but since mercury is naturally occurring, or may have been dumped by whomever was on the land before, it can be advisable to do a soil test before growing crops. Mercury can end up in the soil from air pollution, pesticides, fungicides
Resources
Resources
Action Plans
Action Plans
National Action Plans Search by country
Fact Sheets
Fact Sheets
Biodiversity & Biology
Biodiversity & Biology
Infographic: Mercury and biodiversity "Check out this infographic to learn more about how toxic mercury impacts biodiversity and human health all around the world. From human-made sources, this highly hazardous chemical accumulates in many ecosystems, such as tropical forests, mangroves, oceans and the Arctic, leading to detrimental impacts on biodiversity."
Emissions & Trade
Emissions & Trade
2024 Fact Sheet on Mercury Emissions "The infographic explores key facts about mercury emissions and outlines practices that could be implemented under the Minamata Convention on Mercury."
2024 Fact Sheet on Mercury-added Products "Article 2 of the Minamata Convention defines “mercury- added products” as products or product components that contain mercury or a mercury compound that was intentionally added. Under Article 4, the Convention calls upon its Parties to reduce mercury demand in products by phasing out mercury in many key products and controlling uses in others, along with discouraging the manufacture of new products."
2024 Fact Sheet on Mercury Trade "Check out this fact sheet to learn more about mercury trade on the global market. Measures to control mercury-added products and to limit mercury use in industrial processes have been taken by Parties to the Minamata Convention, and mercury use in products has decreased. This trend is expected to continue, reducing the need for mercury and its trade."
Infographic: Mercury Emissions "Mercury is an extremely toxic chemical that can enter the environment as emissions into the atmosphere from human activities. Mercury emissions can travel long distances, accumulate through the food chain, and negatively impact human health and the environment."
Organizations
Organizations
International
International
planetGOLD "works to make small-scale gold mining safer, cleaner, and more profitable. Our vision is a clean global supply of gold from small-scale miners."
The Zero Mercury Working Group (ZMWG) "is an international coalition of more than 110 public interest environmental and health non-governmental organizations from over 55 countries from around the world formed in 2005 by the European Environmental Bureau and the Mercury Policy Project. ZMWG strives for zero supply, demand, and emissions of mercury from all anthropogenic sources, with the goal of reducing mercury in the global environment to a minimum. Our mission is to advocate and support the adoption and implementation of a legally binding instrument which contains mandatory obligations to eliminate where feasible, and otherwise minimize, the global supply and trade of mercury, the global demand for mercury, anthropogenic releases of mercury to the environment, and human and wildlife exposure to mercury."
Europe
Europe
European Environmental Bureau (EEB) "By engaging with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and international mercury meetings, the EEB and the Zero Mercury Working Group have supported the drafting, adoption and implementation of the Minamata Convention. This global agreement is designed to protect human health and the environment from the dangerous effects of Mercury."
Russia
Russia
Arkhangelsk Oblast
"The Norwegian Climate and Pollution Agency has cooperated with regional authorities in Arkhangelsk on establishing a station for collecting of mercurial waste in the town of Karpogory." - Barents Observer
UK
UK
Crematoria Abatement Mercury Emissions Organisation (CAMEO) "a crematoria abatement system scheme in 2006. This is a burden-sharing scheme where all members pay per cremation, then receive payment per abatement. This scheme was set to enable a phased approach which was not in government recommendations with targets: by 2008, 10% of cremations abated, by 2010, 20% and by 2012, 50%."
North America
North America
USA
USA
EWG "The Environmental Working Group is a community 30 million strong, working to protect our environmental health by changing industry standards."
Maps
Maps
International
International
Mercury from Coal
Mercury from Coal
When Will Countries Phase Out Coal Power? "This measures pledges to phase out coal from the electricity mix."
Africa
Africa
When Will Countries Phase Out Coal Power? "This measures pledges to phase out coal from the electricity mix." This map shows that most countries in Africa are already "coal free"
Asia
Asia
When Will Countries Phase Out Coal Power? "This measures pledges to phase out coal from the electricity mix." This map shows that most the Middle East is already coal free, along with Nepal. Only a few other countries are currently planning to phase out coal.
Europe
Europe
Europe’s Toxic 30 "The air pollution created when burning coal does significant damage to human health across Europe. The infographic below shows the worst 30 plants across Europe, ranked by their health impact."
South America
South America
When Will Countries Phase Out Coal Power? "This measures pledges to phase out coal from the electricity mix." This map shows that roughly half of South American countries are already coal free, with Argentina planning to phase out coal, and no commitment from the remaining countries.
Companies
Companies
North America
North America
USA
USA
Ocean Approved LLC "is testing for heavy metals and nutritional variances at 27 farms over an entire growing season spanning a distance of over 325 km and four natural embayments to inform site selection to minimize heavy-metal uptake and nutritional density on future farms."
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