‘Minamata’ Convention Agreed by Nations Global Mercury Agreement to Lift Health Threats from Lives of Millions World-Wide
Geneva/Nairobi, 19 January 2013—International effort to address mercury—a notorious heavy metal with significant health and environmental effects—was today delivered a significant boost with governments agreeing to a global, legally-binding treaty to prevent emissions and releases. The Minamata Convention on Mercury—named after a city in Japan where serious health damage occurred as a result of mercury pollution in the mid-20th Century—provides controls and reductions across a range of products, processes and industries where mercury is used, released or emitted. These…
