Mercury convention 'must be brought to life'

But there is bad news too. The convention lacks teeth in many key areas. It does not set an end-date for the use of mercury in small-scale gold mining, nor does it include a clear plan on how to phase it out. While the treaty calls for protection of children, it does not explicitly address the critical and widespread problem of child labour in small-scale mining. In the end the one article in the convention, which provides specific provisions for health, became voluntary after days of tough talks during which the European Union, Canada, and the United States rejected mandatory language on this. 

Despite these flaws, the agreement of this new treaty is a positive development. The new Minamata Convention on mercury – named after a mercury poisoning disaster that killed more than 1,700 people in Japan half a century ago – has to be brought to life now. Governments should sign it, ratify it, and implement it. If they do that, the convention will be a huge step forward in protecting the right to health.
http://www.publicserviceeurope.com/article/2971/mercury-convention-must-be-brought-to-life