Minamata Convention on mercury damage prevention adopted in Japan

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Minamata Convention on mercury damage prevention adopted in Japan

(Xinhua) 08:29, October 11, 2013

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TOKYO, Oct. 10 -- An international conference organized by the U.N. Environment Program adopted a historic treaty named "Minamata Convention on Mercury" in Japan on Thursday, aiming at regulate the use and trade of mercury, local media reported.

The treaty maps out measures to curb health and environmental damage caused by mercury, which will take effect 90 days after ratification by 50 nations. Its name came after a Japanese city where industrial emissions of the toxic substance caused a poisoning disease that affected thousands of people.

More than 1,000 delegates from about 140 nations participated in the conference held in Kumamoto City in southwestern Japan.

"Each party shall not allow, by taking appropriate measures, the manufacture, import or export of mercury-added products" after the phase-out date of 2020, says the text, referring to a list of products such as fluorescent lamps that contain a certain level of mercury.

The treaty also says "each party shall not allow the export of mercury except" for uses specified under the convention.

It seeks to decrease the discharge of mercury into the air, water and land, to promote proper storage and disposal of mercury, as well as reduce the use and discharge of mercury in the process of gold mining in developing countries.

The pact, which is expected to take effect in 2016 at the earliest, also calls for a ban by 2018 on the use of mercury in the process of producing acetaldehyde, the cause of Minamata disease.

It will also provide financial aid through a fund to developing countries to assist their efforts to cut mercury emissions, but does not refer to issues such as compensation for victims and who should be obliged to restore mercury-contaminated environments.

The treaty will ban mining of fresh mercury and only allow " primary mercury mining that was being conducted within its (party' s) territory at the date of entry into force of the Convention for it for a period of up to 15 years after that date."

"The people have taken a stand to reduce the risks of mercury to the fullest extent possible," Japanese Environment Minister Nobuteru Ishihara told reporters after the treaty was adopted, urging all nations to ratify the pact.

（Editor：YaoChun、Zhang Qian）