This specific ban on mercury in itself is in need of a further Government response. Specifically, Gutierrez suggested the drafting of a national storage program and the establishment of a facility that will handle the surplus mercury once a ban on the said chemical is in full force.
He also urged the government to place import bans and stamp out the illegal mercury trade. He cited unofficial reports pointing to a large illegal mercury trade that supplies the needs of small-scale miners in the country.
Studies have shown that long exposure to mercury affects the nervous and immune systems and digestive tracts of humans. The World Health Organization also said that the elemental or metallic mercury vaporizes readily and can stay for up to a year in the atmosphere.
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