The Zero Mercury Working Group (ZMWG) has been investigating mercury-added skin lightening products (SLPs) for several years, primarily due to their health risks, their illegality under many national laws, and the prohibition by the Minamata Convention on Mercury against the manufacture and trade of mercury-added SLPs, which generally became effective …
Delegations from some 140 countries agreed on Saturday to adopt a ground-breaking treaty limiting the use and emission of health-hazardous mercury, the U.N. said, though environmental activists lamented it did not go far enough. The world’s first legally binding treaty on mercury, reached after a week of thorny talks, will …
More than 140 countries have reached a deal to cut mercury emissions after all-night talks in Geneva, the U.N. Environment Program (UNEP) said on Saturday. The agreement aimed to phase out many common household products that use the liquid metal, like thermometers and some fluorescent lamps, and reduce emissions from …
With delegates from 130 countries working this week in Geneva to create the first legally binding international treaty to reduce mercury emissions, India has decided to push for a flexible global regime to reduce the levels of the dangerous persistent chemical. Persistent mercury concentrations and accumulation in the food chain …
The ill-effects of power plants on humans living nearby is coming out. Research conducted by National Environmental Engineering Research Institute and Nagpur Veterinary College shows that mercury level in milk and water in Koradi area is very high. The research was done by four professors of NVC and five scientists …
Government-level talks began Sunday at the United Nations in Geneva on forming an international treaty to regulate mercury trading and prevent environmental and health problems arising from the toxic substance. Government representatives from more than 140 countries are participating in the talks to craft a draft treaty. The talks are …
An estimated 260 tonnes of mercury previously held in soils is being released into rivers and lakes reveals this new UNEP study which focuses on worldwide atmospheric mercury emissions, releases to the aquatic environment, the transport and fate of mercury in the global environment. Communities in developing countries are facing …
This report speaks directly to governments involved in development of the global treaty on mercury. It presents updates from the UNEP Global Mercury Assessment 2013 in short and punchy facts and figures backed by compelling graphics that provide governments and civil society with the rationale and the imperative to act …
As President Barack Obama's nominee to head the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Lisa Jackson vowed that the United States would enter a "new world of carbon dioxide control" with planned regulations for power plants, industrial facilities, refiners and vehicles. During her confirmation hearing in January, 2009, Jackson laid out an …
Most food items contain toxins like mercury, pesticides and acrylamide that can affect children in the long run Even healthy food like fruit, vegetables, meat and fish might be putting children’s health at risk. These food items also contain toxins like mercury, pesticides and acrylamide that can, over a long …
The government-owned coal-based thermal power plants are the biggest defaulters in controlling environment pollution in Sonbhadra. While the other polluting industries in Sonbhadra have put the checks in place, the four units of state-owned thermal power plants are yet to act. This is a serious lapse since Sonbhadra is among …
This document has been produced to educate policy makers, miners and civil society about available technologies and approaches for reducing, and ultimately eliminating mercury use in artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM).
The city has witnessed a sharp increase in pollution levels and a haze since Friday morning. According to Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) data, the average respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM) level in the Capital was eight times the prescribed standards in residential areas. Till 7 pm on Friday, Anand …
Mercury, a highly toxic heavy metal, has contaminated the environment of Sonbhadra in Uttar Pradesh. This new lab study by Centre for Science and Environment found the metal in not just soil and water samples, but also in people's blood. Singrauli, the powerhouse of India with massive coal reserves and …
Increasing amounts of industrial waste are being pumped into the Ganga river, transforming its waters into killer pollutants. A survey conducted by the National Cancer Registry Programme (NCRG) under the Indian Council of Medical Research has found that the heavy metals and mercury in the water have resulted in the …
District houses thermal power plants, coal mines, chemical factory The Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh is precariously perched on the threshold of an environment disaster with a new study having found high levels of mercury in the environment as well as in the bodies of local residents. Sonbhadra, which is …
LUCKNOW: The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on Friday demanded imposition of moratorium on new industrial or power projects in Sonbhadra district considering the alarming levels of mercury pollution in the region. The New Delhi-based non-government organisation raised the demand following its recent study in the district where it …
High levels of mercury have been detected in the environment and bodies of people in Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh, according to a study conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). “The study, which was initiated after some residents of Sonbhadra approached the CSE in May last year, …
The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board Chairman Vaman Acharya on Wednesday said that paints used in Ganesha and Gowri idols have chemicals that pollute water bodies. Thus, people should switch to eco-friendly idols that are painted with organic colours, he said. He also expressed concern over indiscriminate use of thermocol …
Prenatal exposure to methylmercury (MeHg) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) has been associated with impaired performance on attention tasks in previous studies, but the extent to which these cognitive deficits translate into behavioral problems in the classroom and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) remains unknown. By contrast, lead (Pb) exposure in childhood …
The 2012 World’s Worst Pollution Problems report sets out to quantify the human health impacts from major sources of hazardous pollution in low to middle-income countries. In particular the focus is on sites in the developing world where toxic pollution has occurred because of industrial activity. This evaluation of industries …
