Experts Ask EU for Total Ban on Mercury
By CONSTANT BRAND 01.10.07, 3:13 PM ET
Health and environmental experts called on the European Union on
Wednesday to push for a global ban on the use of mercury, warning the
highly toxic chemical continues to pose severe health risks.
In a report, a pan-European group of health care experts,
professionals and activists called on the 27-nation EU to step up
efforts to rid the continent of mercury, which it said continues to be
used in everything from dental fillings to medical devices such as
thermometers.
"Even if we stopped all mercury production and spills and emissions
today, our global food supply would still be contaminated for years to
come," said Genon Jensen, director of the Health and Environment
Alliance, who presented the report to EU lawmakers at the European
Parliament.
The report calls for a "general restriction on all remaining uses of
mercury in products."
The EU's executive Commission has called for a ban on exports of
mercury from 2011 and the European Parliament is backing a phase out
of mercury in measuring devices, except barometers and antique
instruments. The EU governments have yet to give their approval.
The European Commission said it would push for a worldwide agreement
to reduce human and environmental exposure to mercury at a United
Nations Environment Program meeting next month.
The EU is the world's biggest exporter of mercury, which is gradually
being phased out by industry.
The group's report claims that low-level exposure to mercury by
pregnant women is dangerous for the unborn child. "Mercury has long
been recognized as a major source of toxicity in children causing
reduced cognitive functioning, including reduced IQ, " Dutch
pediatrician Gavin ten Tusscher told EU lawmakers.
He added that even low exposure to the chemical "can cause damage to
the developing brain of the fetus and infant."
Similar conclusions have been made in other studies conducted
worldwide. Scientists say mercury poisoning can be fatal and even
small amounts can damage the nervous system. Elevated mercury levels
have been linked to learning disabilities and developmental delays in
children and to heart, nervous system and kidney damage in adults.
Jensen called on the EU to launch a public education campaign to
better inform on the risks of mercury, notably to pregnant women. The
report reiterated that harmful human exposure to mercury is mainly
through the consumption of certain types of fish.
Traces of mercury are found in nearly all fish and shellfish. Released
through industrial pollution, mercury falls and accumulates in streams
and oceans as a more toxic form, methylmercury. This can pass through
the blood barrier and into the placenta, posing a particular risk to
pregnant women and children.
However, health experts stress that people should not avoid eating
fish altogether.
"We are simply saying that it's better to eat smaller fish that are
lower in the food chain and therefore less contaminated with mercury,"
Jensen said.
The European health experts called on the EU however to push for a
total global ban at the U.N. talks in Nairobi, Kenya, warning that
mercury emissions could be rising.
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