Minamata Convention UPSC

Minamata Convention

The Minamata Convention on Mercury is an international treaty designed to protect human health and the environment from anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and mercury compounds.

The Convention is named after the Japanese city Minamata. This naming is of symbolic importance as the city went through a devastating incident of mercury poisoning. It is expected that over the next few decades, this international agreement will enhance the reduction of mercury pollution from the targeted activities responsible for the major release of mercury to the immediate environment.

The Convention was agreed at 5th session of Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Mercury in Geneva, Switzerland in January 2013 and was adopted in October 2013 at Diplomatic Conference (Conference of Plenipotentiaries), Kumamoto, Japan.

MERCURY AND ITS EFFECTS:

Mercury exists naturally and as a man-made contaminant. 

The release of processed mercury can lead to a progressive increase in the amount of atmospheric mercury, which enters the atmospheric-soil-water distribution cycles where it can remain in circulation for years. 

Mercury poisoning is the result of exposure to mercury or mercury compounds resulting in various toxic effects depend on its chemical form and route of exposure.

The major route of human exposure to methylmercury (MeHg) is largely through eating contaminated fish, seafood, and wildlife which have been exposed to mercury through ingestion of contaminated lower organisms. MeHg toxicity is associated with nervous system damage in adults and impaired neurological development in infants and children. 

Ingested mercury may undergo bioaccumulation leading to progressive increases in body burdens.

MERCURY POLLUTION

Mercury is global and ubiquitous metal that occurs naturally and has broad uses in everyday objects. 

It is released to the atmosphere, soil and water from a variety of sources such as burning coal for power plants, waste from industrial and medical products like batteries, measuring devices, such as thermometers and barometers, etc, extraction

of minerals (smelting of gold), electric switches and relays in equipment, lamps (including some types of light bulbs) etc.

HARMFUL EFFECTS

According to WHO, Mercury is considered as one of top ten hazardous chemicals of major public health concern. 

• Once released into environment, mercury bio-accumulates and bio-magnifies in food chain and easily enters human body. 

• It has toxic effects on nervous, digestive and immune systems and on lungs, kidneys, skin and eyes. 

• Exposure to even small amount of mercury may cause serious health problems. It is threat to the development of child in utero and early in life. 

• It may also cause skin rashes and dermatitis.

NOTE: 

Mercury is the only metallic element that is liquid at standard conditions for temperature and pressure.

The objective of the Minamata Convention is to protect the human health and the environment from anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and mercury compounds. 

It contains, in support of this objective, provisions that relate to the entire life cycle of mercury, including controls and reductions across a range of products, processes and industries where mercury is used, released or emitted. 

The treaty also addresses the direct mining of mercury, its export and import, its safe storage and its disposal once as waste. 

Pinpointing populations at risk, boosting medical care and better training of health-care professionals in identifying and treating mercury-related effects will also result from implementing the Convention.

The Minamata Convention provides controls over a myriad of products containing mercury, the manufacture, import and export of which will be altogether prohibited by 2020, except where countries have requested an exemption for an initial 5-year period. 

These products include certain types of batteries, of lamps such as compact fluorescent lamps, of and relays, soaps and cosmetics, thermometers, and blood pressure devices. 

Dental fillings which use mercury amalgam are also regulated under the Convention, and their use must be phased down through a number of measures.

OBLIGATIONS ON PARTIES OF CONVENTION

1. Ban on new mercury mines, the phase-out of existing ones.

2. Phase out and phase down of mercury use in a number of products and processes.

3. Control measures on emissions to air and on releases to land and water.

4. Regulation of the informal sector of artisanal and small-scale gold mining.

MERCURY CLUB

Within the conference a "Mercury Club" was established to support the negotiating process for the legally binding instrument on mercury. 

Three different types of awards, gold, silver and bronze, were presented and established "according to the level of contributions received in the time period between the 25th session of the UNEP Governing Council, where the decision to convene negotiations was taken, and the sixth session of the intergovernmental negotiating committee." 

The recipient of award included governmental bodies, intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations and individuals. 

Contributions could be made in different form such as in cash or acts like hosting of a meeting directly related to the negotiations process.

Money contributions were awarded as followed:

• GOLD - contributions of USD 1,000,000 and more

• SILVER - contributions of USD 500,000 and more

• BRONZE - contributions of under USD 500,000

INDIA:

India signed the convention on September 10, 2014.

The Union Cabinet has approved proposal for ratification of Minamata Convention on Mercury and depositing instrument of ratification enabling India to become Party of Convention. 

The approval entails ratification of convention along with flexibility for continued use of mercury-based products and processes involving mercury compound up to 2025.