IPEN Views on a Global Mercury Treaty In 2009, governments of the world agreed to start negotiations on a global mercury treaty with the goal of finishing by 2013. After consultations and input from NGOs in all regions of the world, IPEN has adopted the following policy statement that explains why a global treaty on mercury is needed and that puts forward a civil society vision for the treaty.

INTERNATIONAL POP s ELIMINATION NETWORK The International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN) is a global network of health and environmental organizations working in more than a hundred countries. The network was originally founded to promote the negotiation of a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from a class of toxic chemicals called INTERNATIONAL POP s Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). Then, following adoption by Governments of the Stockholm Convention ELIMINATION NETWORK on POPs, IPEN expanded its mission beyond POPs and now supports local, national, regional and international efforts to protect health and the environment from harms caused by exposure to toxic chemicals. IPEN Views on a Global Mercury Treaty

Mercury is a toxic substance of global concern that causes significant harm to human health, wildlife and ecosystems. When mercury is released to the environment, it travels with air currents and then falls back to earth, sometimes nearby the original source and sometimes far away. Mercury can drain from soils to streams, rivers, lakes and oceans and it can also be transported by ocean currents and migratory species.

IPEN Views on a Global Mercury Treaty 3 When mercury enters the eat them. In some fish species, aquatic environment, it can concentrations of methylmercury be transformed by micro- can be up to a million times organisms into a more toxic form, greater than what is present in the methylmercury. In this form, water that the fish inhabit.1 mercury enters the food chain and accumulates and bio-magnifies While approximately one-third in aquatic organisms including of the mercury that enters the fish and shellfish, and also in the global environment comes birds, mammals and people who from natural sources such as volcanoes, two-thirds or more comes from human activities.2 Moreover, since the start of the industrial era, the total amount of mercury circulating in the world’s atmosphere, soils, lakes, streams and oceans has increased by a factor of between two and four.3 These unnaturally high levels of mercury in the environment disrupt ecosystems and can cause harm to human health in all regions of the world.

Mercury, especially when it is in the form of methylmercury, is highly toxic to humans. Human

4 IPEN Views on a Global Mercury Treaty eat mercury contaminated foods 1 Health Canada: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ ewh-semt/pubs/contaminants/mercur/ during their early years are also q47-q56_e.html affected. Mercury adversely affects 2 U.S EPA http://www.epa.gov/mercury/ a child’s growing brain and nervous control_emissions/global.htm system. This exposure can diminish 3 Health Canada: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ ewh-semt/pubs/contaminants/mercur/ cognitive and thinking abilities, q1-q6_e.html memory, attention, language 4 Stern AH, Smith AE (2003). An assessment acquisition, fine motor skills and of the cord blood: maternal blood 5 methylmercury ratio: implications for visual spatial skills. risk assessment. Environ Health Perspect. 111(12):1465-70. Adults are also harmed by 5 US EPA: http://www.epa.gov/mercury/ effects.htm embryos, fetuses, infants, and exposure to mercury. The human  Small scale artisanal gold miners children are particularly vulnerable populations most exposed to pan for gold in Indonesia. because mercury interferes with mercury are often the poor and neurological development. When the most vulnerable, especially 2007 PROJECT, MERCURY GLOBAL a pregnant woman or a woman indigenous peoples, Arctic of reproductive age eats food communities, island dwellers, contaminated with methylmercury, coastal communities and others the toxic contaminant crosses who depend on fish or other the placental barrier and exposes seafood for their protein. Workers the fetus. Studies indicate that can also be highly exposed to concentrations of methylmercury mercury, especially small-scale in the fetus are higher than artisanal gold miners and their those in the mother.4 Mercury families. Additionally, mercury is additionally present in human exposure harms numerous breast milk which exposes the organisms in the environment infant early in life. Children who and can disrupt ecosystems. Mercury is released to the Cost-effective substitutes are cultures, mercury continues to through trade. In addition, environment from many sources not yet available for some other be used in traditional medicines, they may also lack the capacity including: mercury-containing mercury-containing products religious ceremonies and/or to properly manage mercury products and devices, product such as fluorescent lights, but works of art. and remediate mercury- manufacturing sites, industrial alternatives are being developed contaminated sites. processes, mining activities, and there are opportunities to With the growth of medical metal refining, coal combustion, significantly reduce mercury and scientific knowledge about An international, legally-binding cement kilns, dumps and releases by better controlling mercury and its significant treaty is therefore needed to incinerators, contaminated sites, the amount of mercury used harmful effects on human health develop and implement a fair crematoria and many others. and released during fluorescent and ecosystems, there is now an and equitable global plan of Products that contain mercury are light production and by better international consensus on the action that can effectively still widely produced and traded managing disposal of the product need to take action to minimize control and minimize mercury globally even though substitutes at the end of its useful life. and eliminate mercury exposure releases to the environment, and alternatives are available from anthropogenic sources. prohibit uncontrolled trade in for most of them including Very large quantities of mercury Because mercury travels long surplus mercury, minimize with thermometers, blood pressure continue to be used in industrial distances in the environment and the aim of eliminating, where measuring devices, processes such as chlor-alkali is traded globally, no country or feasible, production and trade barometers, batteries, plants and catalytic processes region acting alone can protect its of mercury-containing products, electrical switches and even though good alternatives people and its environment from and initiate other measures many types of electronic exist. Large quantities of mercury the harms caused by mercury necessary to ensure significant equipment. are also used in small scale gold contamination. Developing total global reductions in mining even though this countries can be especially mercury contamination. causes extremely high levels impacted because they often of pollution and exposure. lack the capability to control Many dentists continue to use mercury-containing products, mercury amalgams even while mercury surpluses, and others have discontinued this mercury wastes that practice and use satisfactory may enter their alternatives. Finally, in some countries

6 IPEN Views on a Global Mercury Treaty To protect human health and ecosystems, The Treaty the treaty should: „„ Have, as its objective, to protect human health, wildlife and The goal of the global mercury treaty should be to protect the environment from mercury by eliminating where feasible anthropogenic sources and releases of mercury; human health, wildlife and ecosystems by eliminating where feasible anthropogenic sources of mercury and methylmercury. „„ Recognize particularly vulnerable populations such as children, women of child bearing age, indigenous peoples, Arctic The treaty should achieve this by controlling industrial processes communities, island and coastal dwellers, fisherfolk, small-scale that use and/or release mercury; phasing-out the manufacture gold miners, the poor, workers, and others; and sale of mercury-containing products and devices; „„ Have a broad scope and address the entire mercury life-cycle; controlling global mercury supply and trade; properly managing „„ Aim to control all anthropogenic mercury sources and all mercury wastes; and taking other necessary measures. Its aim human activities that release significant quantities of mercury to the environment; should be to reduce the total quantity of mercury circulating in „„ Establish an adequately funded and predictable financial the global environment to pre-industrial levels. mechanism with new and additional resources sufficient to enable developing countries and countries with economies in transition to fulfill their treaty obligations without compromising their poverty reduction goals; continued

IPEN Views on a Global Mercury Treaty 7 „„ Use elimination-based control measures subject to possible limited, „„ Ban mercury-containing pesticides; time-bound exemptions to phase-out all products and processes that „„ Establish Best Available Techniques (BAT) for coal-fired power contain or use mercury, and in the interim, establish standards and plants, cement kilns, and other combustion processes that release controls for those products and processes that remain; mercury to the environment with an agreed schedule for its phased- „„ Reduce and minimize global commercial demand for mercury; in application; aim to phase-out any of these sources when good alternatives are feasible, available and affordable; „„ Reduce global mercury supply by banning primary mercury mining; mandating permanent, secure, monitored storage for existing „„ Promote the use of renewable, alternative energy sources as a mercury stockpiles and all mercury that is recovered from chlor- substitute for coal-fired power plants that release mercury to the alkali plants; and restricting the trade of mercury generated from environment; remaining sources; „„ Institute effective measures to reduce and eliminate where feasible the „„ Establish effective controls on international trade in mercury and use of mercury in gold mining; mercury-containing products; „„ Minimize the use of mercury in laboratories, schools and other „„ Mandate environmentally sound solutions for the management of institutions; prohibit inappropriate uses; and incorporate information wastes that contain mercury and mercury compounds including on mercury toxicity and proper techniques for handling mercury in measures to prevent mercury from entering municipal, medical and school curricula; streams; „„ Prohibit new uses of mercury; „„ Address the remediation and reclamation of existing mercury- „„ Promote research and development on sustainable, non-toxic, contaminated sites; alternatives to products and processes that contain or use mercury „„ Expedite the phase-out of mercury use in the healthcare sector; with special emphasis on addressing the needs of developing countries and countries with economies in transition; „„ Promote alternatives to the use of mercury dental amalgams with the aim of eventually eliminating this practice;

8 IPEN Views on a Global Mercury Treaty „„ Ensure that developing countries and countries with economies in „„ Ensure that all scientific information about mercury is regularly transition do not become dumping grounds for mercury wastes and updated and is made available and easily accessible to the public in a excess mercury supplies; timely manner and in appropriate formats and languages; „„ Establish mechanisms for capacity-building and technology transfer; „„ Establish a reporting mechanism that requires Parties to periodically update their national mercury inventories and report on progress in „„ Require each Party to establish and implement a National or Regional implementing National or Regional Implementation Plans and treaty Treaty Implementation Plan; include in the plans inventories of obligations; mercury supplies, sources, wastes and contaminated sites; „„ Establish mechanisms for evaluating the effectiveness of the treaty „„ Ensure that civil society has an active role in the development and including global monitoring of mercury in the environment and implementation of the treaty including the opportunity to participate in humans; in the development and implementation of National or Regional Implementation Plans; „„ Establish and maintain a global fish monitoring network to assess progress in reducing the quantity of mercury circulating in the global „„ Establish mechanisms to improve, provide and exchange knowledge environment and to gather the information necessary to enable and information about: government health agencies to carry out effective risk communication yy Mercury emissions, supply and use; and outreach strategies to populations that consume fish; yy Human and environmental mercury exposure; „„ Establish effective and enforceable yy Environmental monitoring data; treaty compliance provisions. yy Socio-economic impacts of mercury use, emissions and controls; and yy Alternatives for mercury uses in products, processes and other sources;

IPEN Views on a Global Mercury Treaty 9 Other Considerations

The reduction and elimination the availability of regionally- Convention on Prior of mercury sources should be relevant information. Informed Consent; the rapid, orderly, and just. Provisions Strategic Approach to may be phased-in over a period Because mercury is a global International Chemicals of time, but there should be no problem that impacts all regions Management and unnecessary delays. of the world, all countries others. Appropriate have important roles to play synergies with these Meaningful international action in both the negotiation and instruments should be to reduce and eliminate mercury the implementation of a global developed. sources and supply should not be mercury treaty. All countries should contribute delayed until a global mercury The mercury treaty should to treaty implementation to the treaty is adopted and enters into The mercury treaty and its include provisions that will extent they are able. force. Rather, adequately funded implementation should be enable it to be expanded at a international mercury control comple­mentary to other relevant future date to also control other Developed countries should programs should be carried out international instruments toxic metals such as lead and commit to providing sufficient starting immediately. including the Stockholm cadmium, or other pollutants of new and additional financial Convention on Persistent similar global concern, without resources and technological There should also be resources Organic Pollutants; the Basel compromising the robustness assistance to fully enable for extensive environmental Convention on Transboundary of the mercury treaty. developing countries and monitoring in all regions to Movements of Hazardous countries with economies in establish a baseline and to expand Wastes; the Rotterdam transition to fulfill their treaty

10 IPEN Views on a Global Mercury Treaty Frank Pokiak, a hunter and beluga monitor, works in partnership with hunters and scientists from Fisheries and Oceans Canada (including Lisa Loseto, pictured here) to measure contaminant levels in beluga whales as well as potential impacts on their health. 

obligations. The treaty should economic and social costs include provisions for its to a minimum and to avoid Conference of the Parties to disruptions and dislocations. In NOKSANA JOCELYN review: whether funding levels some cases, there may be need for are sufficient; whether recipients transition assistance and/or other are using funds effectively; and aid to specific groups of workers whether actions taken result or communities who currently in full compliance with the depend for their livelihood on provisions of the treaty. activities that release mercury to THONY DIZON THONY the environment. The treaty negotiating process should be open and transparent. Wherever possible, the An informal recycler in Provisions should be made to responsibility for mercury- the Philippines uses a hammer to break CFL enable meaningful participation related phase-outs and clean-ups bulbs while a child by relevant NGOs and other should be consistent with the observes at risk of public interest stakeholders. Polluter Pays Principle where exposure.  costs are shared by responsible Mercury-related phase-out parties with special attention to transitions should proceed the private sector. through a planned and orderly regime that is designed to keep

11 Action on mercury should be The treaty should incorporate Regional specialized centres and and an important source of consistent with the Precautionary other relevant Rio Principles a network of specialized facilities information for the clearing-house. Principle. It should rely on a including: Right to Development should be set up to provide weight-of-evidence approach with (3); assistance in the collection The treaty should give special special consideration given to in the Development Process and management of mercury- attention to the needs of small- the risks to fetuses, children, and (4); Eradication of Poverty (5); containing wastes. There should scale artisanal gold miners. It other vulnerable populations. Priority for the Least Developed be a ban on the disposal of should facilitate their access (6); Capacity Building for these wastes in and to effective and appropriate Sustainable Development solid waste dumps. A uniform technologies that minimize or, (9); Public Participation (10); system should be established where feasible, avoid the use of Compensation for Victims for registering and reporting on mercury. Where that proves to of Pollution and other their collection, transportation be impractical, the treaty should Environmental Damage (13); and processing. promote the establishment State Cooperation to Prevent of programs to assist them in Environmental Dumping A clearing-house mechanism for securing alternative livelihoods. (14); Internationalization of mercury should be established. The treaty should include Environmental Costs (16); It should provide direct access provisions to enable and promote Women have a Vital Role (20); to relevant information about the effective participation of Indigenous Peoples have a Vital mercury including: practical public interest, health and Role (22); and others. experiences, scientific and environmental stakeholders in technical information; and other treaty implementation. Monitoring and oversight of information that can help facilitate treaty implementation and effective scientific, technical and The treaty should provide for financing should be conducted financial cooperation and capacity- public information, awareness and by independent bodies that are building. Civil society groups education, especially for women, publically accountable. should be considered partners children, workers, small-scale gold

12 IPEN Views on a Global Mercury Treaty miners, the poor, marginal people processes, and other activities and the least educated. It should that release mercury to the also provide this for indigenous environment. peoples, Arctic communities, islanders, coastal people, fisherfolk A mechanism should be established and others who rely on fish or to identify, manage and remediate other mercury-contaminated mercury contaminated sites. foods for their nutrition. This may include appropriate compensation for affected workers New research should be and communities. supported, as needed, to expand knowledge about sources of The treaty should call upon its mercury and about the transport Parties to give full consideration mechanisms that carry mercury to the significant health and to remote locations. The public environmental impacts caused should receive timely access to by the transformation of mercury relevant governmental and private in soils into methylmercury when sector data on mercury hazards, dams are built and new areas mercury sources, and alternatives are flooded. to mercury-containing products. Sensitive testing technologies New research should also be and methodologies should supported to develop effective, be made readily available non-toxic, affordable alternatives for identifying mercury to mercury-containing products, contamination of environ­­­­ mercury-dependent industrial mental media, food and people.

IPEN Views on a Global Mercury Treaty 13 IPEN Engagement in the Intergovernmental Negotiating Process

IPEN will participate in the Treaty negotiating process and its „„ Develop IPEN policy positions relating to the mercury negotiations subsequent implementation. and build understanding and support for those policies among NGOs and organizations of civil society in all regions; IPEN has established a Heavy Metals Working Group (HMWG) to help the Network address issues relating to mercury, lead and possibly „„ Develop strategies and resources to promote and enable mercury- other heavy metals. The IPEN HMWG will support the Network’s related activities in all regions; effective participation in the mercury treaty negotiations and also in treaty implementation after it enters into force. All IPEN Participating „„ Promote efforts to educate and engage the general public in all Organizations (POs) with an interest in global mercury treaty negotiations regions about the toxic threats posed by mercury and about the are encouraged to join the IPEN HMWG and contribute to its work. importance of a mercury treaty with the aim of building international civil society support for an effective mercury treaty; During the negotiations, IPEN will: „„ Facilitate strategic, on-the-ground, NGO mercury-related activities „„ Facilitate the active engagement of its POs in the negotiating and the collection of information that supports global IPEN process and maintain close, cooperative working relations with interventions in the global negotiating process; other relevant international NGOs and NGO networks including the Zero Mercury Working Group (ZMWG), Health Care Without „„ Facilitate dialog in all regions between NGOs and representatives Harm (HCWH), the (BAN), the Global of their governments aimed at securing international support for a Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA), the International strong and effective mercury treaty; Society of Doctors for the Environment (ISDE), and others;

14 IPEN Views on a Global Mercury Treaty „„ Cooperate with other NGOs, academics, and others with common goals;

„„ Work to expand and build the base for a diverse and informed global NGO and civil society coalition;

„„ Work to secure consensus agreements where possible on major issues both within IPEN and also with the ZMWG, HCWH, BAN and other engaged NGOs, NGO networks and academics;

„„ Secure NGO endorsements of this vision document: IPEN Views on a Global Mercury Treaty; and also continue securing NGO endorsements of the IPEN Toxics-Free Future Declaration; and Learn more about IPEN’s „ „ Continue to build and strengthen IPEN. Mercury-Free Campaign at www.ipen.org/hgfree working together for a toxics-free future INTERNATIONAL POP s ELIMINATION NETWORK

www.ipen.org • [email protected]

www.ipen.org/hgfree

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