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E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
United Nations Release Report on Global Mercury Pollution |
Global Coalition Supports Report Recommendation to Not Delay Action
on Dangerous Toxin |
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, Dec. 13 -/E-Wire/-- Health, consumer and environmental groups from around the world expressed support for the United Nations report recommendations to not delay international actions to reduce global mercury pollution, and human and wildlife exposure to mercury. The just-released United Nations Environmental Program's Global Mercury Assessment report recommends that "...A sufficient understanding has been developed of mercury…that international action to address the global adverse impacts of mercury should not be delayed."
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The global mercury report was written in response to the UN Governing Council request that UNEP conduct a global assessment of mercury and mercury compounds and forward its findings to the Governing Council for consideration at its 22nd session in Nairobi, Egypt in February 2003.
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"In its report to the UN Governing Council, the Global Mercury Assessment Working Group has concluded that there is sufficient evidence of the international adverse impacts to human health and the environment to warrant global action," said Michael T. Bender, director of the Mercury Project and a representative of the Ban Mercury Work Group, a coalition of 28 non-governmental organizations from around the world. Bender participated as a stakeholder in UN Working Group.
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The 270 page UNEP mercury report describes the extent of concerns regarding the global adverse impacts of this dangerous toxin: "Mercury has caused a variety of documented, significant adverse impacts on human health and the environment throughout the world. Mercury and its compounds are highly toxic, especially to the developing nervous system... Human exposure to mercury can result from a variety of pathways, including, but not limited to, consumption of fish, occupational and household uses, dental amalgams and mercury-containing vaccines."
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"At its upcoming meeting in Nairobi, we strongly urge the UN Governing Council to support the development of a legally binding international treat to combat the detrimental, adverse impacts of mercury on the planet and its people," said Mercury Policy Project director Michael T. Bender.
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The UNEP Global Mercury Report is available at: www.chem.unep.ch/mercury/Report/Final%20report/final-assessment-re port-25nov02.pdf.
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The Mercury Policy Project and the Basel Action Network helped form the Ban Mercury Working Group, a global network of public interest non-profit organizations working to phase out mercury uses and releases, eliminate mercury mining, ban international trade, reduce human and wildlife exposure to mercury, and to safely collect, properly manage and permanently "lock up" surplus mercury. For more information on the Ban Mercury Work Group and its membership from around the world, see http://www.ban.org/Ban-Hg-Wg.
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For more information, see: http://www.mercurypolicy.org http://www.ban.org http://www.chem.unep.ch/mercury
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