Study reveals higher mercury levels in Pacific Island women [1]
Tuesday, April 25, 2017 - 01:24. Updated on Friday, January 26, 2018 - 19:04.
A new study has found that 96 percent of women of childbearing age living in four Pacific Island countries who were sampled have elevated levels of mercury in their bodies.
Hair samples from women aged 18-44 from Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Kiribati as well as the Asian countries of Tajikistan and Nepal were examined as part of a joint study by the interim secretariat of the Minamata Convention, Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI), and the global NGO network IPEN.
The Pacific Islands women were found to contain average mercury concentrations between 2ppm – 3.7ppm, much higher than the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) maximum tolerable daily mercury intake of 1ppm.
In Tajikistan, the women sampled had the least amount of mercury overall with an average of .06ppm due to lower fish consumption. Women in Nepal on the other hand with a low fish diet, were found to have elevated mercury levels due to work where they use mercury to make gold-plated religious idols.
The effect of Mercury exposure is concerning because it can damage the nervous system, kidneys, and cardiovascular system. Developing organ systems in unborn children and infants are the most sensitive to the toxic effects of mercury.
Researchers think Pacific Islanders may have a higher mercury body burden than other locations because of high consumption of certain fish species shown to have higher mercury concentrations in previous studies.
Jacob Duer, Principal Coordinator of the Minamata Convention's Interim Secretariat said that mercury is “recognized as a substance of global concern with impacts on vulnerable populations”.
"Our results show why global action to prevent mercury releases through the Minamata Convention is so important."
BRI Chief Scientist and co-author of the study, David Evers, said the study highlights the importance of biomonitoring mercury pollution.
“Although the subjects in this study represent small selected populations, the information gained contributes to overall global information on mercury concerns.”
He added that mercury contamination is found in marine and freshwater systems globally and that biological mercury hotspots are common around the world relating to a range of human activities.
“For these reasons, it is critical that we continue biomonitoring efforts to track potential impacts on local communities and on the environment in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the Minamata Convention."
Lee Bell from IPEN said that mercury is a global pollutant that can “contaminate people even if they are far from gold mining, coal power plants or incinerators”.
"And that's why all sources of mercury need to be tackled."
Minamata Convention
The Minamata Convention [2] on Mercury is a global treaty that aims to reduce the adverse effects of mercury on human health and the environment.
Although mercury is naturally occurring, it is used in everyday objects such as batteries, light bulbs and appliances, and various sources such as gold mining and coal-fired power plants releases mercury to the atmosphere, soil and water. According to the EPA's website, methylmercury, a highly toxic organic compound is the form of mercury nearly all people in the world have in their bodies although most have mercury levels below the level associated with possible health effects.
Controlling human activities that play a part in releasing mercury throughout its lifecycle is a factor in shaping the responsibilities under the Convention.
Highlights of the Minamata Convention includes a ban on new mercury mines, phasing out of existing mines, phasing out and reduction of mercury use in a number of projects and processes, controlling measures on emission to air and releasing to land and water, and regulating the informal sector of small-scale and artisanal (traditional or non mechanized way) gold mining.