Mercury Treaty Not Likely to Reduce Global Releases

IPEN and other non-governmental organizations said that a new global mercury treaty is unlikely to reduce mercury releases, and may even result in increased mercury pollution at the close of treaty negotiations today. They also said that the proposed treaty name, “Minamata Convention”, dishonours those who continue to suffer from one of the worst cases of industrial mercury poisoning in the world.

This press release includes comments on the following:

• Artisanal Small-scale Gold Mining (ASGM) – the largest deliberate and uncontrolled use of mercury
• Coal-Fired Power Plants and other air emission sources
• Chlor-Alkali Facilities and other water emissions sources
• Contaminated Sites
• “Mercury” not “Minamata” Convention