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▼ Developing Nations To Get Help with Mercury Collection
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In response to the Minamata Convention on Mercury (see below) coming into effect last month, the Environment Ministry will begin disseminating to developing countries Japan’s know-how on collecting mercury products, such as thermometers and blood pressure gauges.
The convention regulates the mining and use of mercury. As early as the end of this year, the ministry plans to begin research into the storage of mercury products at medical institutions in Southeast Asian countries. By spreading the Japanese system for collecting mercury, the ministry aims to help prevent health damage and environmental pollution in these countries.
The system that the ministry aims to share with developing countries is a “concentrated collection” scheme at hospitals, schools, homes and other places, in cooperation mainly with local governments, doctors associations and pharmacies. By setting collection periods and calling for collection in a concentrated manner, the scheme can dispose of mercury more effectively and minimize the cost of the work.
In general, a single thermometer using mercury contains 1.2 grams of the element, while blood pressure gauges with mercury contain 48 grams per unit.
In Japan, the amount of mercury in use peaked at about 2,500 tons in 1964. But it has fallen to less than 10 tons in recent years partly because thermometers and similar medical devices have been replaced by electronic ones.
However, there are still a large number of products containing mercury that are not being used and are kept in storage. The quantities of mercury in such products are estimated at 21 tons in hospitals, seven tons in schools and 18 to 21 tons in homes.
There is a risk that mercury products could get lost or mixed up with other kinds of garbage. If they are burned together with other kinds of garbage, mercury could be discharged into the air.
For hospitals, the ministry created a manual for collecting mercury in 2015, and undertook collections in cooperation with local doctors associations across the nation.
Since 2016, the ministry has called for the collection of mercury in schools via boards of education and other authorities.
Regarding products for home use, the ministry implemented a project to place collection boxes for mercury products in places like pharmacies from fiscal 2014 to fiscal 2016. As a result, a total of 360 kilograms of mercury was collected in 78 municipalities.
The Yokohama city government began using the same method to collect mercury in July. It collected about 1,400 thermometers and 80 blood pressure gauges from city government facilities alone in that month.
A city government official said, “More mercury products than we had anticipated are being stored as unused items.”
Serious pollution overseas
The quantity of mercury in use globally has reached about 3,800 tons.
In developing countries in Southeast Asia and Africa, pollution caused by improper disposal of waste containing mercury has become a serious problem.
The U.N. Environment Programme conducted surveys on how mercury waste has been disposed of in 33 countries and territories, including Japan, Europe, the United States, African countries and Southeast Asian nations.
According to a UNEP draft report, there have been many cases in developing countries of mercury products, such as fluorescent light tubes and thermometers, being disposed of together with other kinds of garbage.
In Cambodia, mercury is collected in such a way that it is mixed with other waste and buried without being separated. In Kenya, waste items including those with mercury are left out in the open or burned outdoors.
The draft report proposes that the proper collection and storage of mercury be implemented in developing countries, and that developed countries with the technology to solidify mercury conduct final-stage disposal on behalf of these countries. In response to this, the ministry will dispatch experts to entities overseas, including the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok, as early as the end of this year.
The Japanese experts will conduct research on storage conditions for mercury products at hospitals in the Philippines and Indonesia, in cooperation with local researchers. They will then help these countries compile plans to effectively collect mercury.
The Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund, which provides assistance to member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, will finance the cost. If the assistance scheme progresses smoothly in these two countries, the ministry will implement the scheme in other nations.
A ministry official said, “To utilize the lessons we learned from the serious damage caused by Minamata disease, we want to share our efforts, which are more advanced than those stipulated in the convention, with developing countries, and reduce the use of mercury worldwide.”
■ Minamata Convention on Mercury
Adopted at an international conference held in Kumamoto Prefecture in 2013, the convention went into effect on Aug. 16 this year. Based on lessons learned from the damage caused by Minamata disease, the convention set a goal of reducing the quantity of mercury used and emitted, so as to prevent environmental pollution and harm to people’s health.
The convention also stipulates that the production, import and export of mercury products will be prohibited in principle by 2020, and mining mercury will also be banned 15 years after the enforcement of the convention.
The convention regulates the mining and use of mercury. As early as the end of this year, the ministry plans to begin research into the storage of mercury products at medical institutions in Southeast Asian countries. By spreading the Japanese system for collecting mercury, the ministry aims to help prevent health damage and environmental pollution in these countries.
The system that the ministry aims to share with developing countries is a “concentrated collection” scheme at hospitals, schools, homes and other places, in cooperation mainly with local governments, doctors associations and pharmacies. By setting collection periods and calling for collection in a concentrated manner, the scheme can dispose of mercury more effectively and minimize the cost of the work.
In general, a single thermometer using mercury contains 1.2 grams of the element, while blood pressure gauges with mercury contain 48 grams per unit.
In Japan, the amount of mercury in use peaked at about 2,500 tons in 1964. But it has fallen to less than 10 tons in recent years partly because thermometers and similar medical devices have been replaced by electronic ones.
However, there are still a large number of products containing mercury that are not being used and are kept in storage. The quantities of mercury in such products are estimated at 21 tons in hospitals, seven tons in schools and 18 to 21 tons in homes.
There is a risk that mercury products could get lost or mixed up with other kinds of garbage. If they are burned together with other kinds of garbage, mercury could be discharged into the air.
For hospitals, the ministry created a manual for collecting mercury in 2015, and undertook collections in cooperation with local doctors associations across the nation.
Since 2016, the ministry has called for the collection of mercury in schools via boards of education and other authorities.
Regarding products for home use, the ministry implemented a project to place collection boxes for mercury products in places like pharmacies from fiscal 2014 to fiscal 2016. As a result, a total of 360 kilograms of mercury was collected in 78 municipalities.
The Yokohama city government began using the same method to collect mercury in July. It collected about 1,400 thermometers and 80 blood pressure gauges from city government facilities alone in that month.
A city government official said, “More mercury products than we had anticipated are being stored as unused items.”
Serious pollution overseas
The quantity of mercury in use globally has reached about 3,800 tons.
In developing countries in Southeast Asia and Africa, pollution caused by improper disposal of waste containing mercury has become a serious problem.
The U.N. Environment Programme conducted surveys on how mercury waste has been disposed of in 33 countries and territories, including Japan, Europe, the United States, African countries and Southeast Asian nations.
According to a UNEP draft report, there have been many cases in developing countries of mercury products, such as fluorescent light tubes and thermometers, being disposed of together with other kinds of garbage.
In Cambodia, mercury is collected in such a way that it is mixed with other waste and buried without being separated. In Kenya, waste items including those with mercury are left out in the open or burned outdoors.
The draft report proposes that the proper collection and storage of mercury be implemented in developing countries, and that developed countries with the technology to solidify mercury conduct final-stage disposal on behalf of these countries. In response to this, the ministry will dispatch experts to entities overseas, including the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok, as early as the end of this year.
The Japanese experts will conduct research on storage conditions for mercury products at hospitals in the Philippines and Indonesia, in cooperation with local researchers. They will then help these countries compile plans to effectively collect mercury.
The Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund, which provides assistance to member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, will finance the cost. If the assistance scheme progresses smoothly in these two countries, the ministry will implement the scheme in other nations.
A ministry official said, “To utilize the lessons we learned from the serious damage caused by Minamata disease, we want to share our efforts, which are more advanced than those stipulated in the convention, with developing countries, and reduce the use of mercury worldwide.”
■ Minamata Convention on Mercury
Adopted at an international conference held in Kumamoto Prefecture in 2013, the convention went into effect on Aug. 16 this year. Based on lessons learned from the damage caused by Minamata disease, the convention set a goal of reducing the quantity of mercury used and emitted, so as to prevent environmental pollution and harm to people’s health.
The convention also stipulates that the production, import and export of mercury products will be prohibited in principle by 2020, and mining mercury will also be banned 15 years after the enforcement of the convention.
- September 6, 2017
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