Global treaty demands mercury reduction in mining, but not in vaccines or dental fillings

Global treaty demands mercury reduction in mining, but not in vaccines or dental fillings

(NaturalNews) There is a global initiative currently gaining momentum to vastly reduce the amount of mercury that gets released into the environment as a result of metal mining and other industrial processes, a move that would better protect public health by limiting exposure to this deadly toxin. But strangely absent from this promising international undertaking, known officially as the Minamata Convention on Mercury, is any talk about the continued use of mercury in both vaccines and dental fillings.

On October 7, government officials from across the globe began meeting in Kumamoto, Japan, according to reports, to discuss how they plan to go about adopting the treaty, which will pave the way for it to eventually be signed and ratified. Human Rights Watch (HRW) reports that the convention will require that participating nations reduce mercury use and emissions across a broad range of industries and processes.

"Millions of people around the world are exposed to the toxic effects of mercury," says Juliane Kippenberg, senior children's rights researcher at HRW, concerning the treaty's purpose. "This treaty will help protect both the environment and people's right to health."

This is all good and fine as it pertains to global industry, which is responsible for releasing nearly 2,000 tons of mercury every year into the atmosphere, according to the latest available figures from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). Nearly three-fourths of all mercury emissions worldwide, in fact, come from small-scale gold mines, coal-fired thermal power plants and the production of nonferrous metals.