Global Mercury Assessment

This report responds to the request of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), through GC decision 21/5, that UNEP undertake a global assessment of mercury and mercury compounds, in cooperation with other members of the Inter-Organization Programme for the Sound Management of Chemicals (IOMC), to be presented to the Governing Council at its 22nd session in 2003. The assessment would include contributions from Governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and the private sector, and cover the following elements: (a) To summarize existing information including recent authoritative reviews of the chemistry, including transformation and methylation processes, toxicology, and impacts of mercury on human health and the environment; (b) To compile and summarize existing information concerning the global natural and anthropogenic sources of mercury; (c) To consolidate and analyse information regarding relevant environmental long-range transport and the origin, pathways, deposition and transformation of these substances on a global scale; (d) To examine and describe the sources of release of mercury to the environment, and the current production and use patterns of mercury as a global commodity; (e) To compile and summarize information about prevention and control technologies and practices, and their associated costs and effectiveness, that could reduce and/or eliminate releases of mercury, including the use of suitable substitutes, where applicable; (f) To describe ongoing actions and compile information about future plans at the national, subregional or regional levels for controlling releases, and limiting use and exposures, including waste management practices; (g) To outline options for consideration at the twenty-second session of the Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum addressing any significant global adverse impacts of mercury, inter alia, by reducing and or eliminating the use, emissions, discharges and losses of mercury and its compounds; improving international cooperation; and ways to enhance risk communication; and (h) To provide, for elements (a) through (f), a summary description of scientific and technical information needs and data gaps.