Experts pledge to work jointly for tackling sources of mercury toxicity

Islamabad : Environmental experts, industrialists and policymakers consensually said that controlling sources of mercury pollution or emissions and enhanced public education on its grave impacts can effectively help minimize the toxic chemical’s exposure to human health and environment, says a press release.

“Making Pakistan mercury free” is not possible without tackling the sources of the toxic mercury and it will require stringent policy, legal and public advocacy and awareness measures,” stressed Mr. Hammad Shamimi, joint secretary (international cooperation) at the Ministry of Climate Change.

Addressing as a chief guest at the concluding session of the three-day the national mercury toxicity assessment workshop, Shamimi, however, assured of the strong commitment of his climate change ministry to work with country’s environmental, health, education, industrial sector and educational institutions to eliminate the sources of mercury contamination.

The event was organized by the Ministry of Climate Change in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Global Environment Facility (GEF) here on Friday at a local hotel under its project the ‘Development of Miniamata Initial Assessment in Pakistan’.

Adopted in October 2013 in Kumamoto, Japan and ratified by 98 countries including Pakistan, the Minamata Convention comprises various mercury-control actions for it signatory countries, such as a ban on new mercury mines, the phase-out of existing ones, the phase-out and phase-down of mercury use in a number of products and processes, control measures on emissions to air and on releases to land and water.

Programme Officer at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Dr. Shunichi Honda said that mercury is a global pollutant and now there are more legitimate calls within these countries and from external stakeholders to manage it effectively to protect human health and environment from its debilitating effects.

Appreciating the seriousness of Pakistan and efforts of the climate change ministry, Dr. Honda of the UNEP said that it is heartening to see Pakistan taking all-out measures in collaboration with relevant government and non-governmental departments, industry and academia to make Pakistan mercury-free.

Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Climate Change, Mr. Mureed Rahimoon, spoke on the aims and objectives of the project and UNEP’s Minamata Convention on Mercury.

He said that the project aims for strengthening the baselines on mercury management in the country, developing national mercury inventories, piloting of sectoral action-plans as a follow-up of prioritization including indicative sampling and hammering out national mercury management plans.”

Assess the causes, sources and impacts of mercury and prepare the pave for Pakistan to permanently eliminate use of mercury at all level, particularly industrial and health sectors, are the key goals of the project, Mr. Rahimoon added.

Dr.Zaigham Abbas, National Coordinator for the Mercury Initial Assessment Project at the Ministry of Climate Change spoke on the objectives of the project.

He said that national assessment on existing sources of information (studies), compile and make them available, national awareness raising and outreach and awareness-raising strategy development, identification of stakeholders, development a qualitative and quantitative inventory of all mercury sources and releases and a national strategy to identify and assess mercury contaminated sites are among key objectives of the project.

Environmental scientist at the Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Dr. Mahmood A. Khwaja, said that his organisation’s research conducted in collaboration with the climate change ministry found that high levels of mercury presence was found at hospitals in Islamabad and Rawalpindi , which pose a serious risk to the lives of patients and other visiting people and surrounding environment.

He underlined need for inclusion of topics about mercury toxicity, their impacts, sources and causes and methods to avoid human exposure to it and its impacts is vital to increasing public awareness.

Explaining about health hazards of the mercury toxicity during his address to the participants of the workshop, Assistant Professor, Department of Community Health Sciences, Aga Khan University, Dr.Asad Afridi, said Neurologically, it can take you into depression, or it can take you into anxiety, result in tremors in your body. It can make you hyperactive, or it can give you chronic fatigue.”

“More often, mercury poisoning builds up over time. However, a sudden onset of any of these symptoms could be a sign of acute toxicity,” said Dr. Asad Afridi of the Aga Khan University.

He said that small amounts of mercury are present in everyday foods and products, which may not affect your health. Too much mercury, however, can be poisonous. Mercury itself is naturally occurring, but the amounts in the environment have been on the rise from industrialization. The metal can make its way into soil and water, and eventually to animals like fish.

Talking about symptoms of mercury consumption, Dr. Asad Afridi said that common symptoms of mercury beyond safe limits in human bodies include anxiety, depression, irritability, memory, problems, numbness, shyness, tremors, hearing and speech difficulties, lack of coordination muscle weakness, nerve loss in hands and face trouble walking and vision changes.

Former Director General of the Paksitan Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR), Dr. Sami-uz-Zaman called for the need of mercury reduction of compact florescent lamp to adopt technology to minimize the impacts of mercury in air, water and soil.