Minamata Convention on Mercury

Categories: Compliance
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About Course

The Minamata Convention is named after the Japanese city of Minamata, which experienced a severe, decades-long incidence of mercury poisoning after industrial wastewater from a chemical factory was discharged into Minamata Bay. The wastewater contained methylmercury, which bioaccumulated in fish and shellfish in the bay. Local people who consumed seafood from Minamata Bay became very sick, and many died or were left severely disabled.

The Minamata Convention on Mercury is a multilateral environmental agreement that addresses specific human activities which are contributing to widespread mercury pollution. Implementation of this agreement will help reduce global mercury pollution over the coming decades.

Global PCCS will help you;

  1. Know about complete steps and process of mercury convention.  
  2. Analyze the mercury added Products and Mercury content in the products.
  3. Complete guide on exemptions of the Convention and articles of the convention.
  4. Reporting and collection of data from supply chain. 
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What Will You Learn?

  • The course will help you know about the background of Minamata Convention, Mercury production trends, Mercury and its effects etc..

Course Content

Introduction to Minamata Convention
This video guides you about the Introduction to Minamata Convention. It guides you about the why the Convention came into force and where did it started.

About Minamata Convention
This convention was named after - Japanese city - Minamata. This Convention was a result of three years of meeting and negotiation after which on 19 January 2013, the draft of the Convention was approved by delegates representing close to 140 countries in Geneva city in Switzerland. And it was adopted and signed later in the same year on 10 October 2013 at a Diplomatic Conference held in Kumamoto, Japan. After the adaptation, the convention was opened for signature for one year, until 9 October 2014. During this period, 127 states and the European Union (which is 27 member states) also signed the Convention in the same year for the better world. Then the Convention entered into force on 16 August 2017, which was, after the date of deposit of the fiftieth instrument of ratification.

Objectives of the Convention
1) To protect the environment and human health from anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and mercury compounds. 2) To control and reduce the mercury across a range of products, processes and industries where it is used, released or emitted. 3)It also addresses the direct mining of mercury, its export and import, its safe storage and its disposal once as waste. Identifying populations at risk, boosting medical care. Better training of health-care professionals in identifying and treating mercury-related effects will also contribute to implementing the Convention.

Signatories and Ratification of the Minamata Convention
Ratifications - 131 Signatories - 128

Sources contributing to Mercury Emissions
1) Natural sources of mercury include volcanoes, forest fires, ores and fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum and Emissions from the ocean. (This is due to presence of dissolved mercury on the surface of the sea level and reacts with the sunlight and emits some amount of mercury) 2) Anthropogenic emissions are those where mercury is emitted by human caused processes. 3) Mercury Re-emissions - Mercury from historical human activities, accumulated in soils and oceans and the emissions from them are called mercury re-emissions.

Sector wise Anthropogenic Mercury Emissions
Explained about the sources contributing to the mercury emissions. The major contributors are Artisanal and small-scale mining, stationary combustion of coal, nonferrous metals production and cement production industries.

Region wise Mercury Emissions
The region wise mercury emission data is projected. The major contributors are East and southeast Asian countries – that is 38.6% emissions and India and its neighboring countries stand in fourth position with about 10% contribution.

Part 1: Introduction of Mercury
How does mercury enter human beings? In the picture you can see the sources of mercury that are anthropogenic and natural emissions. Anthropogenic emissions such as fossil fuel burning and mining which release mercury to the atmosphere. And as natural sources, mercury is emitted from volcanoes and oceans. This mercury as it is having high density, comes down and gets settled in the water bodies like lakes, streams also on land. Later microorganisms in water bodies can change the mercury into methylmercury, where it is moved to the food web from fishes and shellfish and reached to humans and animals. As it moves in the food chain the concentration increases.

Diseases Caused by Mercury and its Compounds
1) High level exposure to methylmercury is known as Minamata disease 2) Methylmercury exposure in children may result in acrodynia (pink's disease) in which the skin becomes pink and peels. 3) Long-term complications may include kidney problems and decreased intelligence (high dose) 4) The neurotoxicity of methylmercury - Niigata Minamata disease. Immunotoxicity 5) Carcinogenicity – Cancer causing 6) Cardiovascular effects 7) The effects of long-term low-dose exposure to methylmercury is unclear. 8) Causes sever brain damage to the growing fetus in the mother’s Womb if exposed.

Articles and Exemptions of the conventions
There are country wise exemptions listed in the Annex A and Annex B of the convention. Likewise in other regulations, this convention also has certain articles and annexes. There are 35 Articles in the Convention, where each article talks about functions of the conventions. And there are 5 annexures in this convention, which are listed as Annex A to Annex E Exemptions are listed for both mercury added Products and Mercury added processes. As you can see in the listed table, we have projected some examples for both products and as well as processes. India is one of the ratified countries, it has registered the exemptions of all the mercury added products in manufacture, imports and exports by the end of 2025. Similarly, an exemption is registered for Acetaldehyde production in which mercury compounds are used as catalyst and phase-out date for that is 2023.

Mercury added products and Processes

About Non-Compliance
Noncompliance might demand for additional audits. Legal actions and imprisonment. Company shut down. Penalties. Reputational damage.

Mercury waste management

How Global PCCS can Support on Minamata Convention?

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