NAN-AE-9
Mercury
Abuja, Feb. 21, 2017 (NAN) The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, (UNIDO) has expressed commitment to the promotion of environmental health by discouraging the use of mercury globally.
UNIDO`s Regional Officer in the FCT, Dr Chuma Ezedinma, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday.
The official said the application of mercury in various industrial processes and homes was injurious to human health and the environment.
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“What we are trying to do is to create awareness on the ratification processes required for the Minamata Initial Assessment (MIA), the Minimata Convention deals specifically with the use of mercury or eliminating the use of mercury in industrial processes.
“We are trying to create that awareness because; mercury is a very dangerous carcinogenic chemical.
“It is used in a lot of industrial processes like in cement, coal and some other household equipment.
“We are trying to tell the world, especially Nigerians, that this is dangerous chemical; that there are alternatives to the use of mercury.
“We should always look forward to those alternatives rather than mercury.
“We have to develop a strategy on how to reach out to every niche and corner on how to identify and eliminate the use of mercury in our communities, in our homes, in our nations.’’
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NAN reports that mercury is used today in a wide variety of products and processes.
It is used (although with less and less frequency) in batteries, in thermometers, in fluorescent lights, in vaccines (although since 2003, primarily vaccines being used in Third World countries), in dental amalgam (“silver fillings”), and in the manufacture of chlorine and caustic soda.
Until the late 1980’s it was often used in paints, in the manufacture of glass, and in other products.
Over the past twenty years, the effects of using mercury on such a wide scale has been raising more and more concerns.
It is the most potent neurotoxin known to man. Meaning, there are no other known chemicals which affect your brain as drastically. And worse, mercury doesn’t break down in the body, or in the environment. It just keeps accumulating.
This is why periodically, government advisories warn against eating certain types of fish.
When mercury builds up in a given water system, the fish living in those waters become toxic.
The regional officer explained that Minamata Convention on Mercury was an international treaty designed to protect human health and the environment from anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and mercury compounds.
He said that the convention would enter into force once 50 countries have ratified because as at today, 128 countries have signed the convention, while 37, including 16 countries, have ratified it.
Ezedinma added that the convention was aimed at promoting the use of alternatives, best available techniques and environmental practices across a wide range of products, processes and industries where mercury was used, released or emitted.
He also said that the MIA was aimed to strengthen national decision-making towards ratification of the Minamata convention on mercury and build national capacity towards implementation of future obligations.
According to him, the report of MIA contains all the required components to allow for effective implementation of the convention.
“UNIDO is trying to ensure that it avoids health implication reports from hospitals.
“The awareness our organisation is having with the media and NGOs will help to eliminate mercury completely in the country.
“At the moment, Nigeria is not intensively in the use of mercury like we found in some other countries because we use it in artisanal gold mining, and we are not exploiting gold extensively, which is another area where mercury is used.
“Therefore, my message to everybody is to look out and think of the elimination of mercury activities because it is very dangerous,’’ he said.
According to him, mercury causes kidney, heart and respiratory problems, tremors, skin rashes, vision or hearing problems, headaches, weakness, memory and emotional challenges. (NAN)
VOE/DOR/YEE
Edited by Nyisom Dore/Emmanuel Yashim
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