"For too long, mercury exposure has been a neglected health issue," said Juliane Kippenberg, senior children's rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. "This week's meeting is a unique chance for health ministries to push the issue of mercury poisoning up the international health agenda."
Mercury is a highly toxic liquid metal that attacks the central nervous system and remains in the environment for long periods of time. It is particularly harmful to children. Much of the world's mercury is used in small-scale gold mining, where an estimated 15 million adults and children use it on a regular basis to retrieve the gold, most of them unaware of its health risks. The mercury is mixed into the ore to create an amalgam, and then burned off, releasing toxic vapors.
No comments:
Post a Comment