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Mercury Pollution

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Consequences of Mercury Pollution

Coming in Contact with Mercury People can come in contact with mercury in a number of ways. There is increased risk of mercury exposure in the dental, health and chemical industries. People are also at risk of consuming an unsafe amount of mercury if they eat certain things in excess amounts, such as more than 6 ounces of albacore tuna per week, or over 12 ounces of fish like shrimp, canned tuna, salmon, pollock or catfish. Exposure to mercury can cause brain damage, kidney damage, lung damage and various digestive system problems (McCoy). Perhaps the person most vulnerable to mercury poisoning is the pregnant woman and her unborn fetus. Trauma caused to infants and children as a result of mercury exposure is exponentially worse than it would be an adult. In most cases, it causes severe nervous system problems.

Exposure A EU study found that “between 1.5 and 2 million children in the EU are born each year with MeHg exposures above the safe limit of 0.58µg/g and 200,000 above the WHO recommended maximum of 2.5µg/g” (Sunderland). Exposure to MeHg in these amounts affects brain development. Stunted brain development leads to a lower IQ. A low IQ lessens one’s earning power. When just looking at the European Union, the consequences are of paramount importance. In the study, Prof Philippe Grandjean explained, "If we convert the effects of MeHg on developing brains into IQ points then the benefits of controlling MeHg pollution equates to 700,000 IQ points per year and monetary benefits of €8,000 to €9,000 million per year for the whole of the EU.”

Where is the mercury pollution coming from? Excessive mercury exposure clearly has detrimental affects on society. It would be hard to completely eliminate the risk of exposure; however, there are certain practices can be eradicated to lower the levels of mercury in the environment. “Roughly one-third of the world’s mercury air emissions come from human activity, like coal-fired power plants. Another third of emissions come from natural sources, like volcanoes or wildfires, and the final third are “re-emitted” after their initial release” (Galbraith). Included in emissions that come from human activity, is unformalized, illegal gold mining. In fact, Mercury used in these operations affects more that 50,000 people and accounts for more than 10 percent of all mercury pollution. For example, Mercury contamination due to gold mining in Peru, has caused unacceptable limits in 76.5 percent in one region (Visser). It’s not just slightly above the acceptable limits either, it is more than five times the maximum level. It is affecting the rural indigenous population more than the those in the cities. The problem arises when mercury is used to help bond gold flakes together. It draws the gold together and then the excess mercury is burned off and left the infect whatever is around it. In the case of these indigenous populations, it reaches their main food source: fish. Over 60% of fish in the target region had alarming levels of mercury.

The Solution World governments have already began cracking down on these problems. Intergovernmental negotiating committees have met on numerous occasions to come up with solutions. They’ve met in Stockholm in 2010, Japan in 2011, Nairobi in 2011, Uruguay in 2012 and most recently in Geneva in 2013 (Kennedy). As far as the Peruvian situation goes, the government there is working on bringing an end to illegal mining that is the cause the pollution. Just in the specific region where the study was conducted, there is an estimated 40,000 miners that need to “formalize their claims or leave” (Sunderland).

Conclusion The impacts of mercury pollution on the Earth are huge. It starts by affecting wildlife and fish and then those things are consumed by humans. There is severe brain damage that is occurring and drastically affecting society’s general IQ and earning power. The progression of society in some cultures is being halted because of this pollution. There have been a lot of governmental meetings regarding the subject, but little has changed. It seems as if there needs to be a great deal more of legislation regarding the matter.

Galbraith, Kate. "If Mercury Pollution Knows No Borders, Neither Can Its Solution."New York Times. New York Times, 12 Dec. 2012. Web. 24 Sept. 2013. .
Kennedy, Robert F., and Marc A. Yaggi. "Mercury Poisoning Is a Growing Global Menace We Have to Address." The Guardian. N.p., 10 Jan. 2013. Web. 24 Sept. 2013. .
McCoy, Krisha. "Mercury Toxicity." Mercury Toxicity. Lifescript, 2013. Web. 24 Sept. 2013. .
Sunderland, Elsie M., and Noelle E. Selin. "Future Trends in Environmental Mercury Concentrations: Implications for Prevention Strategies." Environmental Health. Environmental Health, 7 Jan. 2013. Web. 24 Sept. 2013. .
Visser, Nick. "Amazon Natives In Peru Far More Susceptible To Mercury From Gold Mines, Study Finds." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 10 Sept. 2013. Web. 24 Sept. 2013. .

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