Dhaka, Bangladesh & Emeryville, CA: Elite Paint is the first paint company in Bangladesh to achieve Lead Safe Paint® certification. Yesterday, the news was announced publicly through a press briefing organized by Elite Paint and Chemical Industries in the Begum Sufia Kamal Public Library, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The tragedy of Minamata may be a thing of the past for many, but as the world unites to take action on mercury pollution the dangers remain all too real.
At first it was a mystery. Three young girls stricken with an unknown disease in April of 1956, slurring their words, struggling to walk and suffering unexplained convulsions. Soon there were eight patients. By October there were 40 – 14 of whom had died. And the numbers kept growing.
(Göteborg, Sweden) The Minamata Convention, the world’s first legally binding global agreement to reduce mercury pollution, becomes International law on Wednesday, August 16th, 2017. Environmental health leaders from IPEN (a global network of NGOs in over 100 countries combatting toxic pollutants) celebrate the historical global health and environmental treaty and call on world governments to take the next steps to ensure “no more Minamatas.”
