ABSTRACT
Mercury is a basic chemical element belonging to the group of metals. It is considered by the World Health Organization as one of the top ten chemicals, or groups of chemicals, of major public health concern. Anthropogenic activities are the major cause of mercury releases, especially coal-fired power stations, residential coal burning for heating and cooking, industrial processes, waste incinerators, as well as mining and extractive activities of gold and silver. Mercury exposure can produce multiple harmful effects on human health. The Preamble to the Convention acknowledges the lessons learned from the Minamata syndrome and its effects on health and the environment, recalling the final document of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. Since 2003, when mercury was acknowledged as a global pollutant by the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), a process has been underway under the auspices of UNEP to forward global cooperation to reduce the impacts of mercury pollution.
