Mercury use is on the rise despite a UN push for phaseout

Despite long-term global efforts to curb it, mercury use is on the rise worldwide, according to data from the United Nations Minamata Convention on Mercury. The sixth convention of the parties (COP6) met Nov. 3–7 in Geneva, where scientists and policymakers gathered to come up with new solutions to the continued use of the toxic substance, especially in small-scale gold mining and in skin-lightening products. “Illegal trade in mercury persists, emissions from [artisanal and small-scale gold mining] are on the rise, and mercury still finds its way into use in cosmetics. These are not abstract problems: they affect people’s health, livelihoods, and the environment,” Monika Stankiewicz, executive secretary of the Minamata Convention, said in her opening statements on Nov. 3.The Minamata treaty was finalized on Jan. 19, 2013, and came into force in 2017. Named after a Japanese city that suffered one of the worst cases of industrial mercury poisoning in history, the Minamata Convention works to phase out the use of mercury worldwide.Higher gold prices drive more mercury useOne of the largest sources of mercury emissions is what’s known as artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM), defined by the UN as individuals or small groups mining gold with limited output. About 20% of the world’s gold is produced by ASGM, according to the UN’s planetGOLD project. But because the price of gold has jumped to near an all-time high, mercury use in ASGM has also gone up. The neurotoxic substance forms an amalgam with gold, which allows the miners to