EcoWaste Coalition Pushes for Safe Treatment of Mercury-Containing Wastes

File Photos:  Hideo Ikoma and Yoichi Tani of the Minamata Disease Victim Mutual Aid Society and Thony Dizon of the EcoWaste Coalition visit the DENR in January 2017 to push for Philippine ratification of the mercury treaty and to reiterate the call for justice of the Minamata tragedy victims.

The environmental health group EcoWaste Coalition has flagged the need for concrete measures to safely address mercury wastes, especially from mercury-containing products.

In a press statement released in time for the third anniversary of the historic entry into force of the Minamata Convention on Mercury on August 16, 2017 the group reiterated the need for stakeholders to step up concerted efforts so that mercury wastes are managed in an environmentally sound manner.

“There is a pressing need to speed up efforts to build our country’s capacity to treat mercury wastes and store mercury in the long term considering the 2020 global phase-out deadline for certain mercury-added products.  This is a key deadline in the treaty, and could mean loads of mercury to be stabilized, stored or disposed of,” said Thony Dizon, Chemical Safety Campaigner, EcoWaste Coalition.

“Among other things, we need to put a stop to the improper disposal of products known to contain mercury such as burning mercury-laden contraband cosmetics or dumping mercury lamp waste, which can release their mercury content into the environment, harm our workers and contaminate the food chain,” he pointed out.   

By the end of this year, Parties are required to cease the manufacture, import and export of many mercury-containing products listed in the Convention, including batteries, switches and relays, specific types of lamps, cosmetics, pesticides, biocides and topical antiseptics, and certain types of non-electronic measuring devices such as thermometers and sphygmomanometers.  

“We support policies and regulations that will require companies that manufacture, import, distribute or sell mercury-added products to take them back at the end of their useful life and to ensure that these are not incinerated, landfilled or reprocessed in facilities that are not able to safely manage their mercury content,” Dizon said. 

“While the government has delayed the phase-out deadline for some of the targeted products by 2022, as per the revised Chemical Control Order for Mercury and Mercury Compounds, it must be emphasized that the ban on mercury use in cosmetics such as skin whitening creams, pesticides and medical devices has long been in place and will remain in effect,” said Dizon.

In response to a request for clarification from the EcoWaste Coalition, the Environmental Management Bureau confirmed that "mercury added-products that were already banned by other government agencies shall remain banned and not covered by the 2022 phase-out schedule." 

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte ratified on June 2, 2020 the Minamata Convention, a global treaty that seeks to protect human health and the environment from anthropogenic releases of mercury and its compounds.  

The instrument of ratification was deposited to the United Nations on July 8, 2020, thus making the Philippines the 123rd party to the treaty named after the infamous Minamata Bay decades-long mercury poisoning tragedy.  

"As we welcome our country's ratification of the mercury treaty, we reiterate our solidarity with the Minamata disease victims' groups and support their continuing quest for human rights and justice," declared the EcoWaste Coalition 

The Convention shall enter into force for the Philippines on 6 October 2020 in accordance with article 31 (2) of the treaty, according to the United Nations.

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Reference:

https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/story/minamata-convention-mercury-marks-three-years-protecting-human-health-and

http://www.mercuryconvention.org/Countries/Parties/tabid/3428/language/en-US/Default.aspx

https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/CN/2020/CN.290.2020-Eng.pdf