October 10, 2014 the international community will mark the first anniversary of the Minamata Convention on Mercury.

This global document has already been signed by 122 states, 6 states are Parties to the Convention. These actions demonstrate countries’ willingness to participate in international process on mercury management, as well as contribute to the prevention of adverse health and environmental effects of mercury.

The 69th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 69), held on September 24, 2014 at UN headquarters in New York, became a significant one for the Minamata Convention. Five states ratified the Convention, while 18 countries, including 6 (Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Russia, and Uzbekistan) from the Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia region put signatures on the global document.

50 states should ratify the Convention to entry the document into effect. The Minamata Convention, once in force, will require party nations to take a number of measures to prevent mercury air emissions, phase out mercury-containing production, as well as introduce the technology of environmentally sound management of waste containing mercury.

The Convention regulates a range of areas, including the supply of and trade in mercury, and foresees phased abandonment of this dangerous substance. It also provides phase-out of the production and use of certain products containing mercury compounds, including medical thermometers, blood pressure monitors, barometers and other measuring devices, fluorescent lamps, batteries, and some types of soaps and cosmetics. According to the global document, the production of acetaldehyde with using mercury as a catalyst should be banned by 2018, and by 2025 — the use of mercury in the manufacture of chlorine and caustic soda. In special cases, the use of mercury in medical measuring instruments allowed to 2030.

Mercury and its compounds are of concern at the global health care system level through a serious impact on human health, which leads to the brain and nervous system impairments, especially at an early age. Other toxic effects of mercury and its compounds include kidney and digestive system affection.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Health Care Without Harm (HCWH), International Coalition of NGOs, which is a leader in advocacy for environmental health and justice and seeks to transform the health sector worldwide to provide safe environmentally sustainable health care, believe that the potential adverse effects of mercury on human health are so severe that it is necessary to make every effort to ensure that the main objective of the Convention was reached not later than by 2020. On October 10, 2013, within the day of signing of Minamata Convention on Mercury, WHO launched a new global initiative to eliminate mercury from all medical measuring devices by 2020 — Mercury-Free Health Care Worldwide by 2020 — by phasing out the production and use of mercury-filled fever thermometers and blood pressure measuring devices by stopping the production, import and export of these products, and supporting the implementation of accurate, affordable and safer mercury-free alternative devices.

Ukraine, which unfortunately is left behind the process of accession to the Minamata Convention on Mercury, faces certain challenges caused by mercury and its compounds.

One of the main “mercury” problems in the country is Nikitovskiy mercury plant (Gorlivka city, Donetsk region), stopped in 1995, which was known in the past all around the world. The plant used to be the second one in Europe by volume of output, with 35 kilotons of mercury extraction. Today, monstrous ruins of metallurgical plant workspaces remind mercury production, as well as five abandoned mercury pits with depths ranging from 40 to 180 meters (Zheleznyanka, Cheharniki, Napivkupol Noviy, Zackhidne Zamykannya and Chorna Kurhanka), waste heaps, abandoned mine and increased level of mercury concentration in the soil and nearby water sources. It was found, that the soils at the plant’s surrounding area as well as near the settlement pond and in plants’ ash contained 10–15 times exceeded levels of mercury concentrations. Mercury concentrations in groundwater within the plant area 20–30 times excess over permissible exposure limits. Mercury levels in the air within the plant surrounding area ranged from 155–300 to 1427–1680 mg/l, and cause mercury intoxication of area residents, their increased morbidity, aggression and infant mortality.

The Radical Plant, Ltd. (in the past — Kyiv Chemical Plant, Plant №1000, Fertilizers Factory), which used to produce a lot of different products until 1996, using mercury method, including such products as caustic soda and chlorine, now is known as “Mercury, Chemical, Second Chernobyl”. Since the plant was stopped, roof collapsed above the chlorine production workspace, which led to the containers destruction and spill of hundreds of tons of mercury. During 2001–2005, certain measures were taken to free the plant’s territory of mercury, over 500 tons of metal imbued with mercury were removed; also the top layer of soil contaminated with mercury (about 100 tons) was taken away, but there were predictions that more than 200 tons of mercury could still remain in the workshop. Despite some steps taken to clean up the plant of toxic waste over the last years, the hazard is still very real and requires certain decisions.

In Ukraine, there are a number of businesses that use mercury and its compounds in their industrial processes such as production of chlorine and alkali (caustic soda), as well as other companies that are potential sources of mercury emissions into the air such as coal fired power stations and industrial boilers; non-ferrous metals and cement clinker productions, and incineration of wastes. It should be noted, that elevated concentrations of mercury are typical for coal, but mercury-bearing capacity of Donbass coal is characterized by some researchers as a unique one.

Unfortunately, Ukraine is also a major source of transboundary mercury pollution for nearest neighbors. For example, 9% of cross-border pollution of Belarus in 2008 was “added” by Ukraine while “own” Belarus contribution was 17%.

The global trend of transition from traditional incandescent lightbulbs to energy-efficient ones, including those that contain mercury requires the introduction of a special management system because of their danger to the environment. According to some experts’ estimation, in Ukraine, the year-on-year sales growth of compact fluorescent lightbulbs that contain mercury numbers millions of pieces (about 50 million pcs.). The problem of safe use and disposal of these lamps is the most severe issue.

Minamata Convention on Mercury regulates all these and some other issues related to mercury and its compounds. Therefore, immediate accession of Ukraine to the Convention would enable the country to start solving the problem of safe management of mercury- and its compounds containing waste; moving to mercury-free production of goods; implementing the best available technology and best environmental practice to replace outdated manufacturing processes and improve energy efficiency as well as reduce emissions of mercury from industrial sources, including coal-fired power plant. It would also enable to find options for environmentally sound storage of mercury. All these measures would reduce mercury impact on human health and the environment.