Mercury and environment

Mercury is considered a major risk to human health and the environment and is acknowledged as a serious global environmental problem. Mercury emissions into the environment are transported regionally and globally in the atmosphere and mercury and its compounds have numerous and well-documented adverse effects on human and animal health. One of the most critical effects for the general public is widely accepted to be interference with brain development functions in the foetus, resulting in impaired learning ability of the child. Mercury is accumulated in fish and other marine foods and this is the main route of human exposure for those who are not additionally exposed to mercury in the working environment or from local mercury release sources.

More information:

The UNEP mercury website. These pages provide information about the UNEP Governing Council debate concerning mercury, about the UNEP Global Mercury Programme, and a wealth of information on mercury-related environmental considerations in a global perspective, including the 2002 Global Mercury Assessment: http://www.chem.unep.ch/mercury/