Eco-groups warn vs. burning of mercury-added goods

An international environmental groups’ study warned over the burning of mercury-added products that lead to increased mercury pollution into the
earth atmosphere.

The 78-page study entitled “Mercury Rising: Reducing Global Emissions from Burning Mercury-Added Products” released yesterday showed that the burning of mercury-added products contribute 200 tons of mercury to the atmosphere every year, which comprise 10 percent of the mercury that enters the earth’s atmosphere through human activities.

The groups noted that mercury emissions from product wastes have been inadequately understood and seriously underestimated.

The launch of the Report coincides with the 3rd anniversary of the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) that over 100 governments, including the Philippines, adopted to foster and achieve chemical safety.

“Based on this report’s findings, we believe it is important to recognize that the burning of products containing mercury is much more significant than previously suspected,” said Michael Bender, director of the Mercury Policy Project.

“Our review shows that burning mercury product wastes contributes at least two times more mercury emissions to the global atmosphere than previously thought,” Bender added.

The study showed that globally, the main sources of air emissions from the burning of mercury-added products in waste such as fluorescent light bulbs, mercury thermometers, not including manufacturing wastes are: municipal and hazardous waste incineration (41 percent of the total air emissions related to burning of mercury-added products; landfill fires and open burning of mercury-added products in waste (45 percent of the total); medical waste incineration (11 percent of the total), and municipal wastewater sludge incineration (3 percent of the total).

According to Gigie Cruz-Sy of the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA), the report underscores the harmful environmental and health impacts posed by incineration or burning.

“It is time to recognize that combustion of mercury-added products in incinerators, landfill fires and open burning of domestic waste is a significant contributor of mercury and other toxics to both local and global ecosystems,” Sy said.

The report also showed that the magnitude of emissions in East and Southeast Asia due to landfill fires and open burning of domestic waste.

These observations, the study noted, reflect a combination of significant open burning, especially in rural areas, a large quantity of products containing mercury in the region, and very low recycling rates.

Likewise, it noted that formal incineration of municipal waste is not common in most countries in Asia.

The generation of large volumes of waste, the relatively high use and disposal of mercury-added products, and the incineration in Japan of a very high percentage of its waste explain the magnitude of regional atmospheric mercury emissions from incineration.

“We urge countries to take immediate steps to stop incineration as a method of waste disposal, including mercury burning practices, and move expeditiously towards safe, just, sustainable and more environmentally-sound alternatives,” lawyer Richard Gutierrez of Ban Toxics said.

The report recommended that the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), at its upcoming February meeting in Nairobi, South Africa establishes an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for the purpose of negotiating a ree-standing legally binding instrument on mercury.

In the interim period before such an instrument becomes effective, the report recommended UNEP to assume responsibility for the awareness-raising, analytical, technical and legal support activities necessary to encourage manufacturers of mercury-added products, and countries where such manufacturers are located, to identify and implement the actions.

It also urged the UNEP to recognize that combustion of mercury-added products in incinerators, landfill fires and open burning of domestic waste is a significant contributor of mercury and other toxics to both local and global ecosystems, and urge countries to take steps to stop these practices and to move expeditiously towards safe, just, sustainable and more environmentally-sound alternatives.