Japan to help curb mercury use in developing countries

August 16, 2017

TOKYO- With the Minamata Convention on Mercury now in force, the Japanese government is prepared to step up support for efforts by developing nations to cut back on emissions of the metallic chemical hazardous to human health.

Japan has reduced mercury use since widespread health damage from Minamata disease, a neurological disorder attributed to industrial wastewater containing methylmercury, primarily in the 1950s and 1960s.

But mercury emissions continue to increase in developing nations, making it urgent to take measures to prevent further contamination.

Mercury is used most heavily in small-scale gold mining by individuals and small businesses, mainly in Brazil and Indonesia.

The use of mercury for smelting gold ore is known to have a serious impact on human health, but such gold mining is allowed even after the international treaty to regulate the use and trading of mercury came into effect on Wednesday.

The Japanese government is studying the effectiveness of incentives to stop mercury use, such as raising the price of gold that did not use the chemical in the production process. In future, it plans to assist a shift to mining methods that do not use mercury.

In line with the landmark treaty, Japan bans mercury exports for use in gold mining and if the end use is not known, in order to prevent improper use and help curb global mercury emissions.

Developing nations also suffer from inadequate knowledge about health damage from mercury. Jiji Press