“We see mercury
exposure in this setting as a critical threat to children’s and women’s
health, as well as a major issue around access to information. It’s a
prime example of environmental degradation impacting directly on human
lives.”
The Minamata
Convention (named for the Japanese city that is the site of the worst
modern mercury poisoning) will now lead ratifying countries to phase
out—and, by 2020, to ban—the use of mercury in a range of consumer
items, including certain batteries, light bulbs, medical devices, dental
fillings and vaccines.
It will also tackle mercury pollution at its two most common sources—small-scale gold mining and coal-fired power plants.
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