The Zero Mercury Campaign website is part of the Global Zero Mercury Campaign Project having as its ultimate objective ‘Zero’ emissions, demand and supply of mercury, from all sources we can control, in view of reducing to a minimum, mercury in the environment at EU level and globally.

The project started in November 2004, by the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) in collaboration with the (international) Ban Hg Working Group, represented by its northern coordinator - Mercury Policy Project . Details on the project can be found here.

Mercury and its compounds are highly toxic to humans, especially to the developing nervous system. They are also harmful to ecosystems and wildlife populations. Microbial metabolism of deposited mercury can create methylmercury, which has the capacity to collect in organisms (bioaccumulate) and to concentrate up food chains (biomagnify), especially in the aquatic food chain. Methylmercury is a well documented neurotoxicant, which may in particular cause adverse effects on the developing brain. It readily passes both the placental barrier and the blood-brain barrier, therefore, exposures during pregnancy are of highest concern. It may also cause adverse effects on the cardiovascular system, thereby leading to increased mortality. Methylmercury compounds are considered possible carcinogenic to humans according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Furthermore, inhalation of elemental mercury vapour includes symptoms such as tremors, insomnia, memory loss, neuromuscular changes, and headaches. Kidney and thyroid may be affected.
                                                                                   
                                                            Français- Glossaire Mercure

Forthcoming Events

31Oct - 4Th November 2011, Nairobi, Kenya

The third session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to prepare a global legally binding instrument on Mercury (INC3)

21-25 February 2011, Nairobi, Kenya
26th Session of the UNEP Governing Council Global Ministerial Environment Forum

24-28 January 2011, Chiba, Japan
2nd (UNEP) Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee meeting for the development of a mercury treaty

23 January 2011, Chiba Japan,
ZMWG/CACP NGO lunch event - Honoring Minamata. Poster-invitation also in Japanese

30 November - 1 December 2010, Braunschweig, Germany
GRS/BMU International Conference on Underground Hazardous Waste Disposal , UNEP mercury partnership: Storage area, visit to salt-mine disposal area

Regional consultation meetings of the Civil Society in preparation for the GC 26 (February 2011)

23 September 2010, Geneva
UNEP meeting on Mercury waste

21-22 September 2010, Geneva
UNEP Mercury Partnership, Partnership Advisory Group

20 September, 2010, Geneva
En.Lighten: 1st meeting of the Consumer, Environmental Protection and Recycling Taskforce

 



ZMWG Preliminary Views on the INC 3 Draft Treaty text - English version

ZMWG Position for INC 3 - Abridged version

ZMWG Position Preliminaire INC 3 Draft - FR

ZMWG Preliminary Views on the INC 3 Draft Treaty text - Japanese Version

September 2011

ZMWG comments on the Elements paper

ZMWG summary of changes to the elements paper
January 2011

ZMWG comments on the UNEP INC 2 Draft elements paper, FR, ES(only cover and track changes)
January 2011

ZMWG INC 2 Briefing Paper Series
Supply
Products
Mercury content in lamps
Vinyl Chloro Monomer (VCM)
Chlor-alkali
Waste
Waste and Basel
Mercury Air Emissions
Continuous Emissions Monitoring Systems (CEMS)
Artisanal Smal Scale Gold Mining (ASGM)
January 2011

ZMWG comments on the 1st draft Revised Asian Storage study
14 December 2010

ZMWG comments on 6th draft of Technical Guidelines of Mercury under the Basel convention
Cover note
Detailed comments
30 November 2010

ZMWG comments on the Draft Good practices for management of mercury releases from wastes, under the UNEP Waste Partnership on mercury.
30 November 2010

NGO's letter to UNEP on mercury waste partnership concerning incineration
4 November 2010

ZMWG comments on 1st draft UNEP glossary of terms related to waste and storage terms
22 October 2010

EEB-HEAL letter to EU Env. Ministers for a robust revised EU mercury strategy
11 October 2010

ZMWG comments on the Study on mercury-emitting sources,
including emission trends and cost and effectiveness of alternative control measures “UNEP Paragraph
29 Study”
.
Cover note
Comments in the text
10 October 2010

EEB initial comments on the EC draft decision on criteria for mercury storage
14 September 2010

ZMWG comments on UNEP Mercury partnership on waste area
Cover note
Comments on business plan
Comments on resource doc
10 September 2010

EEB-NRDC comments on the Draft Mercury Chlor-alkali inventory
Cover email
On Explanatory text
On inventory
1 September 2010

ZMWG comments on the Draft Process Optimization Guidance Document for reducing mercury emissions from coal fired power plants (the POG document)
Cover note
Comments in the text
1 September 2010

ZMWG comments on the document entitled  Principles for Evaluation of Received Information and Preparation of Sectorial Scenarios in the UNEP Paragraph 29 Study.
Cover note
Comments in the text
9 August 2010

EEB comments on the BIO draft final report on the Review of the EU Mercury Strategy
16 July 2010

 





More

 
What's New

PR: Mercury treaty negotiation moves forward in ‘fits and starts’
Nairobi, 4 November 2011

PR:NGOsi Urge World Governments to Negotiate a Strong Mercury Treaty
Nairobi, 31 October 2011

NEW! ZMWG comments on the New Draft text for INC 3

ZMWG Preliminary Views on the INC 3 Draft Treaty text - English version

ZMWG Position for INC 3 - Abridged version EN

ZMWG Position Preliminaire INC 3 Draft - FR

ZMWG Synthese de position preliminaire sur INC3-FR

ZMWG Position for INC3 Abridged - SPANISH Version

ZMWG Preliminary Views on The INC3 Draft treaty - Arabic Version

ZMWG Preliminary Views on the INC 3 Draft Treaty text - Japanese Version

September 2011

 

EEB comments on Restriction Proposal for Hg in
measuring devices

24 March 2011

PR: Council conclusions on Mercury Strategy welcomed
15 March 2011

NGOs letter to MS - Input to the Working Party on Environment, 18 February 2011 – Need for strong Council conclusions on the revised Community Strategy Concerning Mercury
Also in ES
16 February 2011

PR: Government leadership needed on global mercury debate, say ZMWG.
28 January 2011

NEW! ZMWG statements at INC 2 , Chiba

ZMWG/EEB/CACP/HCWH PR
Best way to honor Minamata is to adopt a strong mercury treaty, say NGOs 
24 January 2011

NEW ZMWG side event/documents on Mercury INC 2!

23 January 2011, Chiba Japan,
CACP/ZMWG NGO lunch event - Honoring Minamata. Poster-invitation also in Japanese

ZMWG comments on the Elements paper

ZMWG summary of changes to the elements paper
January 2011

ZMWG comments on the UNEP INC 2 Draft elements paper, FR, ES(only cover and track changes)
January 2011

ZMWG INC 2 Briefing Paper Series
Supply
Products
Mercury content in lamps
Vinyl Chloro Monomer (VCM)
Chlor-alkali
Waste
Waste and Basel
Mercury Air Emissions
Continuous Emissions Monitoring Systems (CEMS)
Artisanal Small Scale Gold Mining (ASGM)
January 2011

ZMWG comments on the 1st draft Revised Asian Storage study
14 December 2010

PR: European Commission falls behind on EU Mercury Strategy
10 December 2010

ZMWG comments on 6th draft of Technical Guidelines of Mercury under the Basel convention
Cover note
Detailed comments
30 November 2010

ZMWG comments on the Draft Good practices for management of mercury releases from wastes, under the UNEP Waste Partnership on mercury.
30 November 2010

NGO's letter to UNEP on mercury waste partnership concerning incineration
4 November 2010

ZMWG comments on 1st draft UNEP glossary of terms related to waste and storage terms
22 October 2010

EEB-HEAL letter to EU Env. Ministers for a robust revised EU mercury strategy
11 October 2010

ZMWG comments on the Study on mercury-emitting sources,
including emission trends and cost and effectiveness of alternative control measures “UNEP Paragraph
29 Study”
.
Cover note
Comments in the text
10 October 2010

ECHA Public consultation on mercury in Measuring Devices and Phenylmercury - see ECHA website for reports and on line submissions

PR: EU ‘sees the light’ on energy efficient lamps: mercury content going down
1 October 2010

EEB initial comments on the EC draft decision on criteria for mercury storage
14 September 2010

ZMWG comments on UNEP Mercury partnership on waste area
Cover note
Comments on business plan
Comments on resource doc
10 September 2010

EEB-NRDC comments on the Draft Mercury Chlor-alkali inventory
Cover email
On Explanatory text
On inventory
1 September 2010

ZMWG comments on the Draft Process Optimization Guidance Document for reducing mercury emissions from coal fired power plants (the POG document)
Cover note
Comments in the text
1 September 2010

ZMWG comments on the final draft of the LAC storage study
31 August 2010

ZMWG comments on the document entitled  Principles for Evaluation of Received Information and Preparation of Sectorial Scenarios in the UNEP Paragraph 29 Study.
Cover note
Comments in the text
9 August 2010

ZMWG input to the UNEP Partnership survey
30 July 2010

EEB comments on the BIO draft final report on the Review of the EU Mercury Strategy
16 July 2010

SEE updates of ZMWG activites at UNEP level

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PR: European Commission falls behind on EU Mercury Strategy
10 December 2010

PR: EU ‘sees the light’ on energy efficient lamps: mercury content going down
1 October 2010

PR: Global Treaty on Mercury gets under way
and in Spain from Ecologistas en Accion
11 June 2010

 


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Zero Marcury Campaign 2005 Contact: Elena Lymberidi, Zero Mercury Campaign Project Coordinator, EEB, elena.lymberidi@eeb.org, T:+32 2 2891301
The EEB receives a special grant from the Sigrid Rausing Trust for this activity. EEB gratefully acknowledges financial support from the European Commission