Eliminating Mercury Pollution from the WorldEliminating Mercury Pollution from the World In October 2013 a diplomatic conference will be held in Kumamoto and Minamata for the signing

Eliminating Mercury Pollution from the World

In October 2013 a diplomatic conference will be held in Kumamoto and Minamata for the

signing and adoption of an international convention, Minamata Convention on Mercury,

generally referred to as the Minamata Convention, which regulates the production, import,

and export of mercury and products using mercury. What has made the conclusion of this

convention possible is the fact that mercury pollution is spreading on a global scale.

On the one hand, the reality is that we have been unable to reduce the discharge of mercury.

However, this international convention is historic because it is an agreement by the countries

of the world to overcome that reality and move toward eliminating mercury pollution.

Minamata experienced terrible distress because of mercury pollution. In order that the

peoples of the world should never again experience such suffering, it has given the name

“Minamata” to this convention. For a second time, Minamata has drawn the attention of the

world.

So as not to bring shame to that name, we hope that the convention will be fully

implemented. We therefore want many things to be known about mercury, about mercury

pollution, about the convention, and about Minamata Disease.

In this panel display we have brought those things together in an easy-to-understand way.

This project is one way in which we help welcome visitors from the various countries of the

world that are accepting the Minamata Convention.

Minamata Disease Center Sōshisha

水俣・芦北地域振興基金助成事業

Basic knowledge of mercury

Mercury Is Both Useful and DangerousAs a very useful substance, mercury has been used for many purposes until very recently. Its poisonous

nature has become understood because of such things as the outbreak of Minamata disease, and its use is gradually being restricted.

Mercury lamps mercury vapor (metallic mercury)Being replaced by LED lamps, etc.

Preservative in vaccines sodium ethylmercurithiosalicylatealso called thimerosal): There are increasing numbers of vaccines that do not use mercury.

Projection lamps (lighthouses)metallic mercury(used for turntables)There is a shift to equipment that does not use mercury.

Pressure gauges metallic mercuryPressure gauges using mercury are expensive, and now are not generally seen.

Mercury thermometers fluorescent tubes

Mercury still used today in Japan

metallic mercury

Shift to digital thermometers

mercury vapor(metallic mercury)

Much of the mercury in fluorescent tubes is recycled as toxic waste and reused in fluorescent lamps.

Mercury thermometers metallic mercury

Most blood pressure meters are digital now. Blood pressure is still measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg).

organic mercury

Often called akachin in Japanese, it is now rarely seen.

Mercurochrome

Products using mercury that are (almost) never used in JapanPurpose Type/Form of Mercury Used Notes

gold mining gold amalgam (metallic mercury) Because mercury is expensive, this method did not become common.

gold plating gold amalgamThe gilding of the Nara Daibutsu (Great Buddha) is well known. Gold plating with amalgam (using mercury) is now longer done.

dental treatment silver, tin, and bronze amalgam Generally used until the 1980s; most dentists have stopped using amalgam.

pesticides Phenylmercuric acetateOrganic mercury pesticides began to be used around 1953 and spread widely. Because the cause of Minamata disease was methylmercury, a type of organic mercury, production and sale were restricted beginning around 1963, and its use was prohibited in 2003.

as a triggering explosive inorganic mercury (mercury fulminate)Mercury fulminate was dissolved in concentrated nitric acid and crystalized with the addition of alcohol. It was used as an industrial detonator.

batteries metallic mercuryThe use of mercury was prohibited in alkaline manganese batteries in 1991 and in alkaline batteries in 1992.

mercury batteries inorganic mercury (mercurous oxide) Production ended in 1995.production of sodium hydroxide

metallic mercury (electrodes)Caustic soda was produced by electrolysis of saline solution with mercury as the negative electrode.


Mercury Is in Your BodyDo you think “I have nothing to do with mercury”? In fact, if we investigate mercury levels in hair, it

turns out that virtually no one has a hair mercury level of zero.Because all fish have a small amount of mercy in them, people who eat even a little fish have mercury in

their bodies.However, fish also contain substances beneficial to health such as DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA

(Eicosapentaenoic acid) (both of these are omega-3 fatty acids). Avoiding fish for fear of mercury may not be a wise choice.

Note 1: In Zhoushan, China’s largest fishing area, averages for men are 5.4ppm and for women 4.0ppm, more than double the averages for Japan, and in inland Kyrgyzstan the average is 0.04 to 0.05ppm, incomparably lower (survey by National Institute for Minamata Disease). It is obvious that the level of consumption of fish has a great effect.Note 2: Even when using the same expression, “level causing no effects,” different research groups give it different meanings.

Hair mercury level

1000

100

10

ppm（920ppm） highest level in Kumamoto Minamata disease (1960 hair average: roots 430ppm, ends 1855 ppm)

（338ppm） average for nine patients with severe symptoms (diagnosed with Kumamoto Minamata disease in 1959)

（70ppm） 30% risk for pregnant women (1990 International Program on Chemical Safety)

（50ppm） standard for recommendation against pregnancy (1965: Niigata Minamata disease)

（50ppm） level causing no effects (1976: World Health Organization)

（50ppm） 5% chance of neurological damage in adults (1990: International Program on Chemical Safety)

（20ppm） level causing no effects (1990: International Program on Chemical Safety)

（14ppm） level causing no effects (2003: Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives) (JECFA)

（11ppm） level causing no effects: (1995: Food Safety Commission of Japan)

（10~20ppm） 5% risk for pregnant women (1990 International Program on Chemical Safety)

（6.8ppm） average level for mothers at time of birth in Seychelle Islands (1989-1990 survey)

※No abnormalities were detected even above 12ppm.

（4.5ppm） median for mothers at time of birth in Faroe Islands (1986-1987 survey)

※It is believed that some effects are possible above 10ppm.

（2.5ppm） average for Japanese men (National Institute for Minamata Disease, 2000-2004)

（1.6ppm） average for Japanese women (National Institute for Minamata Disease, 2000-2004)

（1.0ppm） level causing no effects (2000: US Environmental Protection Agency)


Mercury Has Been Used Since Long AgoPlace/Period Use

Ancient Egypt (ca. 3000 BCE—ca. 30 BCE)

Used by pharaohs seeking eternal life. Used to prevent decay of mummies.

Ancient China (ca. 21st century BCE—ca. 3rd century BCE)

Used by emperors to prevent aging and death. Used as vermilion pigment in traditional Chinese medicine. (Still used today in traditional Chinese medicine.)

Ancient Japan (late 3rd century)“In the mountains there is red earth [mercury]; the people paint with cinnabar [red mercury].” (from The Chronicles of Wei)

Ancient Japan (late 4th century—early 7th century)

Used as a pigment in ancient Japan to paint tombs and stone coffins red. (The red color of mercury was considered to symbolize sacredness and nobility.

Nara Period (8th century) Used in gilding the Great Buddha in Nara.

Heian Period (9th century)The monk Kūkai made pilgrimages to various regions in search of mercury. (Mercury is found in the places where Kūkai stopped. It was used as a source of funds.)

The rulers of ancient Egypt swallowed mercury in search of eternal life, and mercury was used to prevent the decay of mummies. In ancient China as well, emperors appear to have taken mercury in the belief that it would prevent aging and death. It was highly valued in traditional Chinese medicine and as a vermilion pigment, and even today the traditional Chinese medicine known as Tongren An Shen Wan (“universal benevolence and relief pills”), whose main ingredient is cinnabar (mercury sulfide), is used as a medicine for sleeplessness caused by stress.Gold plating has been done with amalgam since ancient times, and the largest example is the Great

Buddha in Nara. The gilding of the Great Buddha in Tōdaiji Temple took five years of work and used 440 kg. of gold and 2,400 kg. of mercury. One theory even says that the capital was moved to Kyōto (Heiankyō) because of mercury poisoning from the pollution caused during this work.Kūkai, who founded Kongōbuji Temple, discovered many veins of mercury and used it to fund his

proselytizing. In the Kōyasan region and the Ise Peninsula there were many mercury mines. Mercury was used for such purposes as gilding, cosmetics and pigments (vermilion), preservatives, disinfectants, medicines to prevent aging and death, and as a medicine for the so-called “attainment of Buddhahood during life.”


Evaluating the Environmental Effects of MercuryThe making of things by human beings involves a cycle of gathering or mining the ingredients, transport,

manufacturing, use, and disposal. This cycle makes possible our comfortable lives, but at its various stages, whether intentionally or unintentionally, it has the potential to pollute the natural environment in ways that harm human health. The quantitative analysis of this harm is known as “evaluation of environmental effects.”

In the production of acetaldehyde, in which mercury was used as a catalyst, methylmercury was produced as a byproduct. Wastewater containing this passed through the food chain in fish and shellfish, and caused Minamata disease in animals, including human beings. Our experience with Minamata diseases condenses various failures of industrial society.

1. There was insufficient awareness of the production of methylmercury as a byproduct of the production process.2. Even when the damage became obvious, the discharge of wastewater was not stopped.3. The voices of the victims and those living in the polluted area were not heeded.4. Even when fish and shellfish were known to be the cause of the disease, their consumption was not restricted.5. Acetaldehyde production was given priority, and the search for the cause was hindered and delayed.

Examples of the domestic flow of mercury. Emission into the atmosphere: 2005 as baseline, or the five-year average over 2001-2006 in Japan　By Kida Akiko

Global mercury use by purpose (2005) about 3,800tUNEP (2008) Technical Background Report to the

Global Atmospheric Mercury Assessment.

Chloralkali

Small-scale gold mining

PVC manufacturing, etc.

Battery

Dental

Measuringequipment

OtherFluorescent tubes, etc.

Electrical andelectronic equipment

Unit：Tons

Note：except a natural origin

Coal-fired power generation and industrial boilers

498

Residential heatingand other combustion

382

Artisanal and small-scale gold production

323

Cement production189

Non-ferrous metal132

Large-scalegold production

111

Other wastes74

Iron and steel61

Chlor-alkali industry47

Waste incineration42

Dental alloy(Cremation)27

Mercury production9

Other26

1921

Global atmospheric emissions of mercury (2008)

UNEP(2010) Study on mercury sources and emissions, and analysis of cost and ffectiveness of control measures “UNEP Paragraph 29 study”

Emissions to air　22 ～ 31ｔ

Emissions to water bodies　0.3ｔ～

Emissions to soil　0ｔ

Coal3.1ｔ

Ore70.5ｔAuxiliary

raw materials1.2ｔ

Iron ore2.2ｔ

Coallimestone

Crude oil5.4ｔNaphtha0.02ｔLPG,LNG

Oil combustion

Coal-firedthermal powerNon-ferrousmetal smeltingSmeltingiron or steelCement

manufacturingPetroleumrefining

Other

Volcanic activity Domestic demand　12.6ｔ

Cremation

Incineration

Land reclamation

Product of past

Waste（Including household waste）

Recycle15ｔ

Inventory12.2ｔ

RecoveryPlayback

Shipping volume196.5ｔInventory4.4ｔ

ProductMetal products

Cement

Petroleum product

Other

Import4.5ｔ

Export108ｔ

Battery: 1.8ｔIncandescent light bulb: 4.7ｔDental amalgam: 0.20ｔMedical thermometer: 0.69ｔSphygmomanometer: 3.1ｔInorganic chemicals: 2.1ｔ

1.35ｔ（Oil combustion）

1.23ｔ（Coal-fired thermal power）

0.52ｔ～ 4.61ｔ（Non-ferrous metal smelting）

3.26ｔ（Smelting iron or steel）

8.94ｔ（Cement manufacturing）

3.3 ～ 3.5ｔ（Other）

Emissions from

domestic demand

0.0272ｔ

Export of

products

2.2ｔ

Import of

products

1.0ｔ 0.056ｔ

4.5ｔ～

Fluorescent lamp collection and crushing

7.23×10-5 ～ 9.03×10-5ｔ

Dry cell　0.19ｔ～

Fluorescent lamp　0.20ｔ～

15ｔ

７5ｔ～

Raw materialsand fuels, etc.

66.8ｔ

（Non-ferrous metal

smelting and refining）

Others unknown

（Non-ferrous metal


Others unknown

1.7ｔ

1.01ｔ（Non-ferrous metal


Others unknown

0.004ｔ（Coal fired power plant）

0.07ｔ（Non-ferrous metal smelting and refining）

Others unknown


The Dangers of Methylmercury Shown to Usby Minamata Disease

In the natural world, a great deal of metallic and inorganic mercury is present due to volcanic eruptions and other causes. This metallic and inorganic mercury is gradually changed by such things as the action of bacteria into highly dangerous “methylmercury.”Early limitations on mercury (WHO 1976) were based on estimates of levels causing severe

methylmercury poisoning. In other words, they were standards intended to prevent severe symptoms.Later, research progressed based on data from Iraq, and standards were established based on levels

causing relatively lighter methylmercury poisoning symptoms, and in order to ensure safety. (1990 IPCS criteria).As time passed, the effects of long-term low level pollution began to be considered, and as a result of

cohort studies in the Faroe Islands and the Republic of Seychelles (observational research studying the connections between disease-causing factors and outbreaks of disease by comparing disease rates between groups exposed to a specific disease-causing factor and groups not exposed), standards were established based on more subtle effects that could only be seen from statistical analysis.

The Importance ofControls on Mercury

●methylmercury=deadly poison; controls are necessary

●metallic mercury/inorganic mercury=toxicity is lower,

but if it becomes organic there is danger; controls are necessary

Controls on all types of mercury are necessary.

To control mercury, standards are necessary.

●Common standards for all of humanity (UN/WHO/IPCS/UNEP)

Restrictions

Standards

Studies and ResearchTo establish standards, studies and research are necessary.

●studies of areas suffering damage: Minamata, Iraq

●laboratory studies

●cohort studies: Seychelle Islands, Faroe Islands

Changing standardsWays of thinkingThe 1976 WHO Criteria

●patients with severe illness・research on early patients with severe symptoms in Minamata and Iraq・levels at which patients with severe illness developed symptoms・certification standards (compensation standards)

The 1990 IPCS Criteria

The 1995 EPA Standards, etc.

●patients with mild symptoms・studies in Iraq・levels at which symptoms developed・pollution levels (standards for prevention)

●cohort studies (effects on fetal development)・Seychelle and Faroe studies・presence or absence of risk・risk reduction standards

Maps of Global Mercury PollutionChina: Songhua River region, Jilin ProvincePollution of fish, shellfish, and sediment in the river from wastewater containing methylmercury from an acetaldehyde factory. It is said that people who consume fish have shown symptoms similar to those of Minamata disease.

Japan: Minamata Bay region, Kumamoto PrefectureMethylmercury compounds in wastewater discharged from the Chisso Corporation factory were concentrated in fish and shellfish, and mercury poisoning resulted from consumption of those fish and shellfish. Discovered in 1956.

Japan: Agano River region, Niigata PrefectureMethylmercury compounds in wastewater discharged from the Shōwa Denkō Corporation factory were concentrated in fish and shellfish, and mercury poisoning resulted from consumption of those fish and shellfish. Discovered in 1965.

Canada: Ontario and QuebecFrom the 1940s, organic mercury was used by a paper mill to sterilize pulp, and an affiliated caustic soda plant also caused pollution. Autopsies of cats confirmed Minamata disease pathology.

United States: South DakotaLake Oahe: From about 1880 to 1970, fish were contaminated by wastewater containing metallic mercury discharged by a gold mining company.

Denmark: GreenlandIn 1991, in the northern and arctic regions, researchers reported that fish and seals, the staple foods of the Inuit, were contaminated with methylmercury.

China: Baihua Lake region, Guizhou Province　Pollution containing mercury and methylmercury from an acetaldehyde factory. Before it enters Baihua Lake, this mercury wastewater is used to irrigate rice paddies, and a large area of rice paddies was polluted with mercury. Contamination of fish and shellfish with mercury is feared.

Italy: The Mediterranean SeaDeposits of cinnabar (ore containing mercury) in southern Tuscany and wastewater from two chloralkali chemical factories in Rosignano Solvay (near Livorno). There are no reports regarding damages to health.

Sweden: StockholmFrom the 1940s until 1966, a paper factory using phenyl mercury discharged mercury into a lake. Through bacteriological processes, methylmercury was generated from this phenyl mercury and was concentrated in fish. Cats fed these contaminated fish developed symptoms of methylmercury poisoning in 60 to 83 days.

unconfirmed0-1 ton/year1-5 tons/year5-10 tons/year10-25 tons/year25-50 tons/year50-500 tons/year

Amount of mercury discharged into the environment by small-scale gold mining

Countries in which small-scale gold mining is done by manual labor, and the main areas with mercury pollutionSmall-scale mining of gold by manual labor is carried out in many places, so they are classified here by total mercury production. However, much of this is done illegally, and accurate surveys are impossible. For example, mercury pollution is reported for many places in Brazil. Actual production is estimated to be far more than the amounts given in these reports. Also, according to a Japanese group’ s investigations in French Guyana, mercury pollution and damage to health from small-scale mining of gold by hand have been reported. (On small-scale gold mining by hand, see panels 8 and 9.)　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　http://www.mercurywatch.org

Bangladesh: ChittagongA caustic soda plant using mercury electrolysis was closed in 1996 and left as it was, and spread of mercury pollution due to rainfall and other causes is feared. High concentrations of mercury were in fact detected in the factory’s wastewater.

Kyrgyzstan: KhaidarkanFears that environmental pollution from the remains of an open-pit mercury mine may cause inorganic mercury poisoning in refugees.

Tanzania: The Lake Victoria Region (Geita, Mugusu, and Lake Victoria gold mines)Metallic mercury used to refine gold in the 1980s gold rush was discharged into the environment. In addition to direct exposure of human bodies to mercury vaporized in the gold refining process, environmental pollution of the Lake Victoria region by mercury, particularly contamination of fish in the environment by methylmercury, is a concern.

India: Rushikulya River Estuary and Hussain Sagar LakeIn 1992, mercury from a chloralkali plant in Ganjam was discharged into the Rushikulya estuary.

Cambodia: SihanoukvilleAt a site involved in the unloading in 1998 a ship carrying industrial waste containing a high concentration of mercury of up to 4,000ppm, one person died and ten people complained of health problems. This waste material was dumped in a slightly elevated area and totaled as much as 3,000 tons.

New Zealand: Lake MaraetaiAn alkali chlorination plant that operated for 19 years on the Waikato River discharged ten tons of chlorine per day and a total of 830 kg. of mercury per year into Lake Maraetai and the Waikato River. Mercury levels of over 3ppm were detected in rainbow trout in the river.

Brazil: Amazon River regionBecause of the gold rush, particularly since 1979, approximately 3,000 tons or more of metallic mercury were used and discharged into the environment. People refining gold developed inorganic mercury poisoning from absorbing mercury vapor, and pollution of the environment is resulting in accumulation of methylmercury in fish due to mercury becoming organic in the environment, and health effects are feared in residents who eat large amounts of fish. There are said to be one million to 1.2 million gold miners.

French Guiana

Mercury pollution in the world

7


Poor People Risk Their Lives to Mine Gold (1)

Refining of gold with mercury is still widely practiced.Because small-scale gold mining (ASGM: artisanal and small-scale gold mining) does not require

expensive equipment, it is practiced today in over 70 countries, and at least ten to 15 million workers are believed to be engaged in it.The workers are exposed to highly concentrated mercury vapor, resulting in many types of health

damage including death from acute mercury poisoning, lethargy, convulsions, dizziness, and numbness. Most work sites include entire families, from children to old people, and it is feared that those harmed include those most susceptible, such as children and pregnant women and their fetuses.Furthermore, because of the work done to remove water and gravel from the amalgam, the soil and

drinking water in the areas around the worksites are polluted with mercury. The mercury discharged into rivers is gradually methylated by microbes in the ecosystem, and this methylmercury is believed to bring new health hazards into the food chain.

Gold amalgam is heated and mercury is vaporized. Residents in the surrounding area are affected by the mercury vapor.

Photo: Ban Toxics!, a Philippine NGO

Gold received in return for health and life.

Photo: Ban Toxics!, a Philippine NGO

Gold amalgam is made by stirring pulverized gold ore, mercury, and water. Excess water is being discarded.

Amalgam is wrapped in cloth. The cloth is squeezed to remove excess mercury from the amalgam.

Photos: Oguchi Masahiro


Poor People Risk Their Lives to Mine Gold (2)

Small-scale gold mining is believed to account for the largest amount of discharge of mercury by human beings. The UNEP announced that in 2000, as much as 727 tons of mercury was discharged into the environment. For this reason, small-scale gold mining is the most important issue for the Convention on Mercury. However, most of the developing countries opposed Article 7’s “obligations to curtail” release of mercury.• Because small-scale gold mining is mainly conducted in developing countries, and the production of

gold contributes to state finances, nations do not wish to restrict it.• For the poor unable to find work, gold mining is often the only source of income.• Because organized criminals often intervene between the state and workers, investigations and

restrictions are difficult. People who have lost work due to development and the increasing scale of agricultural operations carry out small-scale gold mining using mercury, even though they may be aware of the dangers, because they have no other options to make a living.

UNEP Global Mercury Assessment 2013.

Gold mining site in the Philippines

Entire families, including children, take part in the work.Photo: Luis Liwanag, Ban Toxics!

Diwalwal Gold Mine

Mindanao region, Philippines. As it became known that gold ore was present, people out of work from all over the Philippines rushed to this area with dreams of getting rich overnight. Disputes over mining rights led to frequent murders. In addition, environmental pollution and chronic mercury poisoning of workers caused by the use of mercury in refining became serious.

Photo: Buck Pago, Ban Toxics!


Issues for the Future: “Long Term, Low Level Pollution”

The fact that high concentrations of methyl mercury cause severe damage to health was made clear by experiences such as Minamata disease and the contaminated foodstuffs incident in Iraq.However, we now know that most seafood contains methyl mercury. In particular, because of the food

chain, most large carnivorous fish and some types of deep sea fish, as well as marine mammals, tend to concentrate it a great deal.Mercury in the human body is excreted at a fixed rate, but for those who customarily eat fish frequently

as Japanese do, a certain amount of mercury is retained in the body. This results in a condition of long-term low-level exposure. If this is assumed to be harmful, then it can be called long-term low-level contamination.In recent years, in a study of approximately 900 people in the Faroe Islands, where people eat a

great deal of whale meat, which has a high methylmercury content, small reductions in strength and attentiveness were recognized. However this was seen first only in statistical analysis, and the symptoms were not recognized by examination of individuals. The effects of long-term low-level contamination must be considered entirely separately from the typical symptoms of mercury poisoning.However, at present the problem of environmental pollution by mercury, because of the fact that sea

water itself contains small amounts of mercury, is drawing global attention from the viewpoint of this type of long-term low-level contamination.

Am

ount of mercury in the body

Now After about

Two Months

After about

Four Months

After about

Half a YearAfter One Year

The amount of mercury

in the body is definitely

getting smaller.

If I stopped eating

fish now…

Tuna on the cover of the UNEP’s “2013 Mercury Assessment.”

People who walked the site of mercury pollution

People Who Fought against Mercury Pollution

Akagi HirokatsuAkagi Hirokatsu was born in Manchuria. He was raised in Makurazaki in Kagoshima Prefecture.

Aspiring to academic reseach that “protects life,” he studied environmental hygienics and hygienic chemistry at Gifu Pharmaceutical University.In 1968, the year when the government issued its conclusion that “methylmercury is the causative

substance for Minamata disease,” he began working at the National Institute of Public Health. At a time when mercury was a matter of interest for many researchers, Akagi too came to be involved in mercury research.After his March 2004 retirement, he worked to develop better technology, and opened a private research

facility, the “International Mercury Laboratory,” in Fukuro, Minamata City. There he receives researchers from overseas, and he himself tirelessly travels the world to pass on mercury analysis techniques.

Harada MasazumiHarada Masazumi was born in 1934, the son of a doctor who had opened a

practice in Miyanojō Town, Kagoshima Prefecture. After entering Kumamoto University, in 1959 he first became involved with Minamata disease, and he visited the homes of patients around Minamata Bay by bicycle and on foot. He was the first to make the world aware of the existence of congenital Minamata disease, of which conventional medical knowledge had previously been unaware.Whenever he was told “Minamata disease has appeared” somewhere, he would

travel to wherever it was in the world. Based on his belief that “because I have for many years been involved with Minamata disease, it is my responsibility to go to these sites,” he visited places all over the world, including China, Brazil, Venezuela, Indonesia, Finland, the United States, and Canada.He also examined patients for many years, pursuing problems such as the

Kanemi Rice Oil poisoning and the carbon monoxide poisoning from the Mitsui Miike coal mine explosion.

Akagi Hirokatsu as a high school student (front row, right)

Akagi Hirokatsu conducting a survey on the Ottawa River with the Canada National

Research Council

Harada Masazumi examining victims of mercury pollution in a town in the Amazon basin were very thankful for his attitude of

devotion.

Photo: Akutagawa Jin

Red Footprint of Akagi Hirokatsu Blue Footprint of Harada Masazumi

ChinaVenezuelaBrazilAmericaCanadaFinlandIndonesia

TanzaniaGhanaRussiaKazakhstanVietnamTaiwanIndonesiaPhilippinesChina

KazakhstanUzbekistanCanadaAmericaBrazilBoliviaSloveniaSweden

People who walked the site of mercury pollution

The “Akagi Method” Used in Cases ofMercury Poisoning Worldwide

The mercury analysis methods used in Japan are old-fashioned ones that require a large volume of samples for measurement, as well as a great deal of time and effort. The “Akagi method,” because it requires only a few very small samples, made possible the measurement of extremely small amounts of mercury that until then had not been measurable. For this reason, what is called the “Akagi method” is now becoming the global standard for methylmercury analysis.

While spending two years in Canada for the Ottawa River mercury pollution project, he developed a method using radioactive isotopes and various types of samples to very efficiently extract, separate, and quantify them with very high degrees of sensitivity and discrimination. Today’s “Akagi method” was developed from that technique as a result of ten years of difficult work.

Acid is used as a separator to measure mercury in hair.

Ice is used to trap steam in an apparatus he developed himself to measure total mercury.

Equipment to measure methylmercury Mercury levels in biological samples as small as one microliter can be measured.

Hair separated using acid is inserted.

Methylmercury detected.

“Mercury Can Be Measured from a Single Hair,”

Yomiuri Shinbun, September 9, 1993

水銀条約と水俣About the mercury treaty

Before the International Treaty on Mercury: Why It Was Needed

As a result of the industrial revolution that began in Britain in the 18th century, the cycle or process in place up to then of procurement of materials, manufacturing, transport, consumption, and disposal was changed, as large-scale production and consumption led to an increase in substances that did not break down easily in the natural environment, leading to a one-way process in which materials were no longer part of a circular process. At the same time, the energy sources used for power changed, creating a large-scale nonrenewable system as we moved from human power to animals to water power to coal to oil to nuclear energy. The result was that because of air, water, soil, and noise pollution, vibrations, bad odors, and ground subsidence, not only was our living environment worsened, but life itself was endangered. Therefore, today the steadily worsening borderless pollution of the air and seas requires joint measures by all the countries of the world.

The current reality of global mercury pollution, and the restrictions on the use, export, and import of mercury under the international convention on mercury, have been taken up as one part of controls on such toxic metals as mercury, cadmium. lead, etc., by the UN’s environmental planning body, the UNEP. The government of Japan worked to have the treaty named the “Minamata Convention” and to make “do not allow Minamata disease to happen a second time” the key phrase symbolizing the control of mercury.

Minamata: Hachiman sedimentation pool

In the high-growth period wastewater treatment was virtually never considered. As a result, pollution problems occurred throughout Japan. Japan passed laws restricting water and air pollution from the late 1960s to the 1970s, and direct pollution was reduced. However, it also became clear that corporations that moved operations overseas created new sources of pollution at those sites.

Photo: Onitsuka Iwao

Yokkaichi City:

Mitsubishi Petrochemical flare stack

In the age of high-speed economic growth, large-scale factories operated right next to residential areas. This resulted in the spread of damages from air and water pollution.

Photo: Sawai Yoshirō

Brazil: gold mining on the Tapajós River, a major tributary of the Amazon River. Contaminated water is flowing out of material dredged from the riverbed.

Photo: Akagi Hirokatsu


Before the International Treaty on Mercury: The Process

After the 1972 Stockholm Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, in which Minamata disease patients participated, the United Nations’ environmental planning body, the UNEP, was established. The many areas addressed by the UNEP included protection of the ozone layer, toxic waste, preservation of the marine environment, water quality protection, management of chemical substances and heavy metals, prevention of soil quality degradation, and protection of biological diversity. However, as a result of the fact that the world from 1970 to 1990 was one in which individual countries put development first and carried out industrial activities on their own, the issues addressed by the UNEP worsened year by year. Around 1990 it became no longer possible to carry on the prosecutorial approach to solving problems that had been previously used, and alternative methods began to be adopted, beginning by recognizing the existing situation and considering the specifics of how best to move forward to solve problems.

At the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the Rio Declaration was issued as the basis for action on global environmental issues. Afterward, with the 1985 Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, the UNEP worked to control the causative substances, the 1987 Montreal Protocol was put into practice, and in 1997, the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was adopted. Furthermore, in 2004 the Stockholm Convention was adopted to regulate persistent organic pollutants (POPs).

The UNEP began its activities regarding global-scale mercury pollution in 2001. At INC5 (the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee) held in Geneva in January 2013, 800 representatives from 140 national governments, international organizations, and NGOs participated, and agreed on the final text, venue, and name for the “Minamata Convention.”

January 2013: Kumamoto booth at INC5, Geneva

Photo: Kumamoto Prefecture

January 2011: NGO booths at INC2, Makuhari, Japan

Photo: Ministry of the Environment

1972: At the Main Venue of The United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm, Sweden at the People’s House

Photo: Shiota Takeshi


Minamata Convention on MercuryMinamata Convention on Mercury

The main contents of the convention are given below. The numbers given for articles in the convention and annexed documents follow those in the advance language version (UNEP(DTIE)/Hg/INC.5/7), and may be adjusted in the future.

(from Ministry of the Environment website)

PrefaceThis incorporates the basic understanding underlying measures to deal with mercury, which is that it is necessary to be aware of the risks of mercury and move forward with international steps regarding mercury,

The section: “Recognizing the substantial lessons of Minamata Disease, in particular the serious health and environmental effects resulting from the mercury pollution, and the need to ensure proper management of mercury and the prevention of such events in the future” was added at Japan’s suggestion.

Objective (Article 1)“To protect human health and the environment from anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and mercury compounds.”Curtailment of Mercury Supply and International Trade (Article 3)Regarding “primary mercury mining” (mining activities whose primary purpose is the mining of mercury), new mining will be prohibited after the Convention takes effect, and production from existing mines will be prohibited 15 years after the Convention takes effect. Regarding trade in mercury (trade only in metallic mercury; trade in mercury-added products is outside the scope of the Convention), export of mercury is limited to “(i) A use allowed to the importing Party under this Convention; or (ii) Environmentally sound interim storage as set out in Article 10” (export of mercury wastes must follow Article 11 and the Basel Convention).When mercury is exported, prior consent of the importing country (whether a party to the Convention or not) is required. However, exports to an importing country which has registered its consent to imports in advance with the Secretariat are possible if they follow the terms and conditions of the consent. Import restrictions apply only to imports from countries not party to the Convention, and exporting countries are required to certify that the exported mercury is not from (i) new primary mercury mines, or (ii) decommissioned chlor-alkali facilities.

Restrictions on Use of Mercury in Products (Articles 4 and 6; Annex A)Restrictions on Use of Mercury in Manufacturing Processes (Articles 5 and 6; Annex B)Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) (Article 7) “Each Party that has artisanal and small-scale gold mining … shall take steps to reduce, and where feasible eliminate, the use of mercury and mercury compounds in, and the emissions and releases to the environment of mercury from, such mining and processing.”Emissions into the Atmosphere (Article 8) and Releases into Land and Water (Article 9)Emissions into the atmosphere: Emissions restrictions are put into place, aimed at such sources as coal-fired electric power plants and nonferrous metal refining facilities. For new sources, the use of Best Available Techniques (BAT) and Best Environmental Practices (BEP) is required.Each party to the Convention must compile an inventory of sources of emissions and releases. The Conference of the Parties will adopt guidance on BAT and BEP. Financial Resources and Technological Assistance (Articles 13 and 14)Under the Convention, a system to carry out financial support (“financial resource mechanism”) is established. “Parties shall cooperate to provide … capacity building and technical assistance to developing country Parties, in particular Parties that are least developed countries or small island developing States.” The Council of Parties will regularly collect information on alternative technologies, consider the needs of developing countries, and specify how technology transfer could be enhanced. Health Measures (Article 16)“Parties are encouraged to provide information of populations at risk and promote necessary health care programs in order to care for populations at risk from mercury.

Annex A: Mercury-Added Products (excerpts)Part I: Products subject to Article 4, paragraph 1

Mercury-added Products

Date after which the manufacture, import or export

of the product shall not be

allowed

Batteries, except for button zinc silver oxide batteries with a mercury content < 2%, button zinc air batteries with a mercury content < 2%

2020

Switches and relays (description condensed) 2020Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) for general lighting purposes that are ≤ 30 watts with a mercury content exceeding 5 mg per lamp burner (types shown below)

2020

Linear fluorescent lamps (LFLs) for general lighting purposes 2020High pressure mercury vapor lamps (HPMV) for general lighting purposes

2020

Mercury in cold cathode fluorescent lamps and external electrode fluorescent lamps (CCFL and EEFL) for electronic displays (types shown below)

2020

Cosmetics (with mercury content above 1ppm), including skin lightening soaps and creams

2020

Pesticides, biocides and topical antiseptics 2020The following non-electronic measuring devices except non-electronic measuring devices installed in large-scale equipment or those used for high precision measurement, where no suitable mercury-free alternative is available: (a) barometers; (b) hygrometers; (c) manometers; (d) thermometers; (e) sphygmomanometers

2020

Part II: Products subject to Article 4, paragraph 3 (excerpts)Mercury-added products provisions

dental amalgamgradual curtailment of use of dental amalgam (details omitted)

“The following products are excluded from this Annex:(a) Products essential for civil protection and military uses;(b) Products for research, calibration of instrumentation, for use as reference standard;(c) Where no feasible mercury-free alternative for replacement is available, switches and relays, cold cathode fluorescent lamps and external electrode fluorescent lamps (CCFL and EEFL) for electronic displays, and measuring devices; (d) Products used in traditional or religious practices; and(e) Vaccines containing thimerosal as preservatives.”

AnnexBManufacturing processes in which mercury or mercury compounds are used (extracts)Part I: Processes subject to Article 5, paragraph 2

Manufacturing processes using mercury or mercury compounds

Phase-out date

Chlor-alkali production 2025Acetaldehyde production in which mercury or mercury compounds are used as a catalyst

2018

Part II: Processes subject to Article 5, paragraph 3 (excerpts)Mercury using process provisions

Vinyl chloride monomer production(i) Reduce the use of mercury in terms of per unit production by 50% by the year 2020 against 2010 use (details omitted)

Sodium or Potassium Methylate or Ethylate

(i) Measures to reduce the use of mercury aiming at the phase out of this use as fast as possible and within 10 years of the entry into force of the Convention (details omitted)

Production of polyurethane using mercury containing catalysts

(i) Taking measures to reduce the use of mercury, aiming at the phase out of this use as fast as possible, within 10 years of the entry into force of the Convention (details omitted)


The International Treaty on Mercury: Issues from Here On

Let us consider the Minamata Convention in comparison with the March 2010 working draft of a “Proposed Partial Conceptual Text for a Global Mercury Treaty” from the International NGO ZMWG (Zero Mercury Working Group) and with the Convention text adopted by the 2013 Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC5).

ZMWG 2010 “Proposed Partial Conceptual Text”: Minamata Convention text adopted by INC5:

“A ban on new primary mercury mines in the short-term and the closure of existing mines by 2020;”

Under the Minamata Convention, new mining is prohibited, but existing mines will be closed within 15 years.

“A ban on the export of elemental mercury and specified mercury compounds that can profitably be converted to elemental mercury, except for the purpose of storage or sequestration of the mercury;”

Under the Minamata Convention, there are restrictions that do not amount to bans.

“The scheduled phase out of the manufacturing of certain mercury products, and an associated export ban so these specified products can no longer be dumped on the developing world;”

Under the Minamata Convention there is regulation, but the activities and items subject to prohibition and bans are limited.

“A licensing system for the export of mercury or mercury-added products when still allowed under the Convention;”

Under the Minamata Convention, written agreement by imported countries is stipulated, but it is possible that there will be ways to avoid this.

“The phase out of using mercury in certain manufacturing processes such as chlor-alkali production; and”

Under the Minamata Convention, the ban on mercury use in chloralkali production takes effect in 2025, and in some production processes its use will only be reduced rather than eliminated.

“Trade restrictions with Non-Parties to discourage governments from attempting to seek an economic advantage by not becoming a Party to the Convention.”

Under the Minamata Convention, trade restrictions on Non-Parties are included.

In order to reduce mercury pollution under the Minamata Convention, it is necessary for all countries to move forward with initiatives to regulate mercury, based on the premises that “States have common but differentiated responsibilities” (Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, Principle 7) and that “in order to protect the environment, the precautionary approach shall be widely applied by States according to their capabilities. Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation” (Rio Declaration, Principle 15).

Map of atmospheric pollution by mercury (from UNEP 2010)

The limit for mercury concentrations in Japan is 40 nanograms per cubic meter, but at sites of small-scale gold mining pollution levels from several thousand nanograms up to several tens of thousands of nanograms have been confirmed.This map shows how Japan’s emissions are excessive. Atmospheric Environment 2006 gives Japan’s emissions as 143.5 tons, but the calculation by Kida Akiko, et al. estimates it as 22 to 28 tons.

And Minamata mercury treaty

”We support naming the Conventionafter Minamata!” “We oppose it!”

When INC5 was held in January 2013, it was decided that the name of the Convention would be the “Minamata Convention on Mercury.” There is a range of opinions about this.

In order to spread the lessons of Minamata disease“I think we must proactively name this convention after ‘Minamata’ so that the

name ‘Minamata’ will be carved into history and for the rest of eternity the lessons of Minamata will not be forgotten. I think that the name ‘Minamata Convention,’ at the same time it once again broadcasts the lessons of Minamata to the world, also represents a precious opportunity to tie this to the solution of Minamata disease. Many opposing opinions from various groups regarding the name ‘Minamata Convention’ have been received, and I hope the city of Minamata will in a spirit of sincerity incorporate them in its full efforts to solve Minamata disease and spread its lessons.”

We insist that the lessons of Minamata must be reflected in the

Minamata Convention“In order that the tragedy of Minamata disease will never again be repeated

anywhere in the world, we believe it is important that the convention on mercury reflect the lessons learned from the tragedy of Minamata. However, the current convention on mercury does not reflect the lessons of Minamata.… It is the responsibility of the government of Japan, the nation that experienced the tragedy of Minamata, to ensure that ‘the lessons of Minamata’ are reflected in the convention on mercury. If a treaty that does not reflect ‘the lessons of Minamata’ is named the ‘Minamata Convention,’ we believe this would be an insult to the dignity of the victims of Minamata.

So that the tragedy of Minamata is not forgotten“Minamata suffered the worst damage from mercury pollution, and is the place

which had the largest number of victims. So that humanity does not forget how terrifying the damage from mercury pollution is, and also so that the tragedy of Minamata is never repeated, we want the name ‘Minamata’ never to be forgotten. We believe that giving the convention on mercury the name ‘Minamata Convention’ will ensure that humanity never forgets the tragedy of Minamata, and that it will be the common wish of the peoples of the world that the same mistakes are never made again.”

It will make the damage from rumors continue forever“Among the many opinions we have heard from citizens, the idea that ‘For many

years the place name “Minamata” has been attached to this disease, and we have suffered discrimination based on rumors, so if [the treaty] is given this name, this damage from rumors will continue forever’ is very strong. It is a known fact that the citizens of Minamata have suffered from groundless rumors. The real scientific name for Minamata disease is ‘organic mercury poisoning,’ and we strongly request that the treaty’s name not include ‘Minamata.’ “

The views put forward by a kataribe ( aperson who speaks

about personal experiences of Minamata disease) at the

Minamata Disease Municipal Museum

Joint declaration by citizens’ groups

from Citizens against Chemical Pollution, the

Minamata Disease Mutual Aid Society, and Green

Action

Petition by three Minamata patients’ groups

Ashikita Association of Minamata Disease Victims, Shishijima Association of

Minamata Disease Victims, Minamata Disease Patients’

Alliance

Written Opinion of the Minamata City Assembly


A Single Wish

Many opinions have been put forth regarding putting “Minamata” into name of the international convention on mercury. The various opinions do not simply divide into those in favor and those opposed. The differences are not about which choice is correct and which is not. Their different viewpoints also lead to different feelings about the name “Minamata.” It is in fact because they all value “Minamata” that they make various different arguments about the name of the convention.

A Single WishThere are different ideas about “Minamata,” but one idea is common to all. That is the strong wish that

“the tragedy of mercury pollution should be eliminated from the world, and Minamata disease should never occur again.”

Minamata: Hachiman sedimentation pool

Photo: Onitsuka Iwao


The Bountiful Sea Has Disappeared

Minamata Bay is an inland sea of about 400 hectares, surrounded on the north by Myōjin Cape, on the west by Koiji Island, and on the south by the Nishinoura Peninsula. In its southern part, the brackish waters of Fukuro Bay comprise a second inland sea within this inland sea. Even in the winter, when the northwest winds create whitecaps on the Shiranui Sea, the Myōjin Cape blocks the winds and even small fishing boats used to be able to fish in Minamata Bay. Minamata Bay, where in several locations many fish were caught in wickerwork fishnets, was also called the “sea where fish gush forth,” but because the bay was closed off by a large net from 1974 to 1997, because of contaminated fish, and because 58 hectares of the bay were filled in, it has not returned to being a bountiful sea. Still, the appearance of seaweed and fish around Koiji Island reminds us of the ability of nature to recover.

Under the land reclaimed from Minamata Bay is buried the huge volume of 1.51 million cubic meters of mercury-laden sludge. The Sōshisha estimates that this includes over 100 tons of mercury . The most are mercury sulfide ,but a very smoll amount of methylmercury is included. Not knowing what might happen in the future, there are calls for further study and countermeasures. The mercury-laden sludge is covered on top by several meters of earth and surrounded by cells of steel plate, so it is not currently about to leak out, but there are questions about how many years the steel plates will last, and unfortunately the situation does not lead one to say “this is safe.” At present, Kumamoto Prefecture carries out surveys of mercury levels in the bay every year. It has also set up a committee of specialists to evaluate the earthquake resistance and degradation over time of the reclaimed land and discuss measures to be taken in the future.

Underwater view of Minamata Bay, 2005

Photo: Ozaki Tamaki

Aerial view of land reclaimed from Minamata Bay, 2007The mercury-laden sludge was reclaimed, but this part of the bountiful sea was lost.

Boat anchoring site, Hyakken Harbor, Minamata Bay, 1972

Photo: Minamata City


So That Minamata Disease Does Not Occur Again

Minamata disease is the “ground zero” of damages to health and destruction of the

environment by large-scale mercury pollution. Even now, over half a century since the

official recognition of Minamata disease, throughout the world human health is adversely

affected and the environment is being destroyed by mercury pollution.

The convention aimed at protecting human health and the environment from mercury

pollution has been named the Minamata Convention, and the preamble to the Convention

refers to: “the substantial lessons of Minamata Disease, in particular the serious health and

environmental effects resulting from the mercury pollution, and the need to ensure proper

management of mercury and the prevention of such events in the future.” In some ways the

Minamata Convention may not be sufficient to eliminate mercury pollution from the work,

but considering the history of Minamata disease and the condition of mercury pollution in

the world, it may be called a great step forward. We highly praise the government of Japan

for wishing to name it the “Minamata Convention” in order to call attention to the failures

surrounding Minamata disease.

With the naming of the convention “Minamata,” Minamata has once again drawn the

attention of the world. With the government of Japan, Kumamoto Prefecture, and Minamata

City, we call for a further strengthening of efforts to prevent mercury pollution.

There are things that we ourselves can do to help rid the world of the tragedy of mercury

pollution. We are certainly not powerless. Learning what happened in Minamata and the

facts about global mercury pollution, as well as thinking about it carefully and passing this

knowledge on to others, may help to prevent Minamata disease from occurring again.

Documents

Eliminating Mercury Pollution from the WorldEliminating Mercury Pollution from the World In October 2013 a diplomatic conference will be held in Kumamoto and Minamata for the signing