Chapter 6: Curtailing Mercury's Global Reach

Linda Greer, Michael Bender, Peter Maxson, and David Lennett

Levels of mercury in the global environment have risen sharply over the past two centuries due to human-made releases. Experts estimate an annual loading of about 4,500 tons per year of mercury released into the atmosphere from coal combustion and industrial uses. In comparison to releases of other polluting substances, this may seem inconsequential. But because mercury is persistent and never degrades, this annual loading accumulates in soil and water bodies year after year to levels sufficient to contaminate the food chain. As a result, this contaminant now endangers people on every continent, exceeding established safe levels in various fish and marine mammals and threatening the viability of wildlife populations as well. (See Box 6-1, p. 98.) Eighty percent of the mercury used in the world is used in developing countries, particularly in East Asia, with 1,032 tons, and South Asia, with 634 tons.

In order to create a healthy and equitable living environment for future generations, we must stop the circle of poison that mercury use, trade, and pollution perpetuate. Luckily, there is one unusual and positive feature of the mercury market that may help us do just that. Major sources of mercury supply and demand are relatively small in number across the globe. This creates an opportunity for a well-considered strategy that can focus first on a handful of key sectors in order to substantially reduce the overall global mercury load. Because of the global nature of mercury, targeted reductions in this handful of large uses will deliver widespread global improvements disproportionate to the number of sources addressed. Likewise, the strategy can focus on major sources of mercury supply in only a few key countries, which will nonetheless substantially reduce the entire global mercury supply. (See Table 6-1, p. 109.)

Special Focus, China & India

Box 6-3: The Case of Kodaikanal: Dangers of Dumping Mercury-Containing products in the Developing World, p. 103

Box 6-5: China and India: The World’s Largest Users of Mercury, p. 108

Linda Greer is a Senior Scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council in Washington, D.C. Michael Bender is Director of the Mercury Policy Project/Tides Center in the United States. Peter Maxson is Director of Concorde East/West Sprl in Brussels, Belgium. David Lennett is an attorney in private practice in Maine in the United States.