Professor Peter Nelson

Mercury is both a natural element and an introduced contaminant. Research shows that mercury exposure can cause serious harm. Professor Peter Nelson, newly appointed co-lead of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Partnership on Mercury Control from Coal Combustion, and member of the expert group preparing the 2018 Global Mercury Assessment, was asked for his thoughts.

How is mercury contamination spread?

Mercury can be released into air, water and soil through its use in a large variety of products (such as lights and batteries), from industrial processes (including mining, metal and cement production), and through extraction and combustion of fossil fuels. Mercury can travel long distances after being released into the environment and is responsible for increasing the global burden of disease in infants, children and pregnant women.

Who is at risk of mercury poisoning?

People whose main source of protein is fish or other marine creatures are most at risk (UNEP-WHO, 2008). According to The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN, more than 100 million tonnes of fish are eaten worldwide each year which provide two and a half billion people with at least 20 per cent of their average per capita animal protein intake. This reliance on seafood as a food source increases the exposure of vulnerable populations to high mercury contamination.

How can someone avoid increasing their blood mercury levels?

Food Standards Australia and New Zealand recommends certain groups, particularly pregnant women, women intending to become pregnant and young children (up to and including the age of six) should limit their consumption of some types of fish to control their exposure to mercury and have recommended maximum levels of consumption of certain types of fish. These recommendations take into account both the effects of mercury exposure and the well-documented positive effects of a diet high in seafood.

How are Macquarie researchers helping the fight against mercury contamination?

UNEP has developed a range of partnerships with industrial sectors to develop measures for mercury management and monitoring and to build capacity in developing countries. I have been appointed co-lead of the Partnership on Mercury Control from Coal Combustion. The partnership will support global emissions reduction and provide information on cost-effective approaches for enhancing reductions in mercury emissions. A number of projects have been proposed in South Africa and Vietnam and, if approved, the partnership will manage these projects.

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The UNEP Minamata Convention on Mercury is a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury.

For more information on the health effects of mercury, view the WHO Fact Sheet.