The Minamata sul Mercurio convention is an international treaty aimed at protecting human health and the environment from the harmful effects of mercury. The agreement provides a global picture to deal with the use, emissions and releases of mercury and mercury compounds. The following report outlines the main requirements of the Convention on the basis of the attachments provided.
The agreement was adopted by the United Nations program for the environment (UNEP) in Kumamoto, Japan, in October 2013 and entered into force on August 16, 2017. To date it was ratified by 141 countries.
Restrictions pursuant to the Minamata sul Mercurio Convention
1. Products with addition of mercury (attached a)
The agreement requires the gradual elimination of some products with the addition of mercury within specified dates. Some products are exempt, such as those used for civil, military protection, research, calibration, traditional or religious practices and vaccines containing tiomalal as preservatives.The gradual elimination dates of various products include:
- Batteries (except specific button batteries) - 2020
- Switches and relays (with some exceptions) - 2020
- Compact and linear fluorescent lamps (with specific mercury content limits) - 2020
- Lamps with high pressure mercury vapors - 2020
- Fluorescent lamps with cold cathode and fluorescent lamps with external electrode for electronic display (with specific limits of mercury content) - 2020
- Cosmetics with mercury content greater than 1 PPM (excluding some cosmetics for the eye area) - 2020
- Pesticides, biocids and topical antiseptics - 2020
- Some non -electronic measurement devices - 2020
2. Dental amalgam (Annex A, Part II)
The agreement requires the gradual elimination of the use of dental amalgam through various measures, such as the promotion of alternatives without mercury, research and development, education and training, discouraging the insurance policies that favor dental amalgam and promoting the best environmental practices in dental structures.
3. Manufacturing processes that use mercury or mercury compounds (Annex B)
The agreement requires the gradual elimination of some production processes that use mercury or mercury compounds within specified dates:
- Chlorine -alcal production - 2025
- Production of acetaldehyde using mercury as a catalyst - 2018
For other processes, the provisions specific to gradually reduce or eliminate the use, emissions and releases of Mercury. These processes include the production of vinyl chloride monomer, the production of methylato or sodium or potassium and the production of polyurethane using catalysts containing mercury.
4. Extraction of artisan gold and small scale (Annex C)
The parties subject to article 7, paragraph 3, must develop national action plans to face the use of mercury in the extraction of crafts and small scale. These plans must include national objectives, reduction goals, actions to eliminate specific harmful practices, measures to facilitate the formalization of the sector, basic estimates of the use of mercury, strategies to reduce emissions and exposure and public health strategies, among other requirements.
5. Punctual sources of emissions in the atmosphere (attachment D)
The Convention lists different categories of punctual sources of mercury emissions in the atmosphere, which require control and reduction measures:
- Electric coal power plants
- Industrial coal boilers
- Fusion and roasting processes used in the production of non -ferrous metals
- Waste incineration systems
- Cement Clinker production plants
Ahmed Sakr
Product Compliance Consultant
ComplyMarket Ug (Technical Description)
