As it persists in the environment for thousands of years, mercury, a highly toxic metal, continues to pose a significant risk for the environment and for human health in Europe and remains a problem that must be tackled on a global scale, states the report by the European Environment Agency (EEA), published on Wednesday 19 September.
It is in rivers, lakes and oceans that mercury accumulates in its most toxic form and where it presents the greatest risk as it changes into methylmercury. The latter is easily absorbed by fish and ends up in the human food chain, Man’s main source of mercury exposure, the report states. In the EU, nearly 46,000 surface waters out of 111,000 are not in line with the limit values fixed to protect fish-eating birds and mammals, according to EEA data.
The EU has already banned or restricted the use of mercury in many products and industrial processes beyond what is imposed by the Minamata Convention on mercury, which took effect in 2017 but which could go much further (see EUROPE 11918).
Current emissions in Europe are, for the most part, limited to the combustion of solid fuels (coal, lignite and wood). However, at world level, mercury emissions are far greater due to additional sources of emissions such as gold extraction and industrial processes.
To consult the report, see: https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/mercury-in-europe-s-environment. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)