Improved information on emissions, particularly in Europe and North America, have contributed to further progress in the assessment of the regional impacts of mercury on terrestrial and aquatic envi-ronments (Pirrone et al., 2001), devoted to the preparation of legislative measures aimed to phase out the use of mercury in goods and industrial applications and reduce to the extent possible mer-cury emissions to the atmosphere. In 2002 UNEP Chemicals released the first assessment (Global Mercury Assessment Report, GMA) on global mercury contamination (UNEP, 2002), while in 2008 the report on "Global Atmospheric Mercury Assessment: Sources, Emissions and Transport", the result of the UNEP Governing Council's decision 24/3 I, reported the most updated information by including detailed assessments on China and India, which are the fastest growing economies, as well as for South Africa (Street et al., 2008; Feng et al., 2008; Mukherjee et al, 2008; Leaner et al., 2008). On the other hand, some fundamental sectors that release mercury to the atmosphere are not well documented (i.e. artisanal gold mining, coal-bed fires, biomass burning). In addition, a few inventories have been published under the UNEP-Global Partnership for Mercury Air Transport and Fate Research (UNEP-MFTP) (i.e. Burkina Faso, Madagascar, Cambodia, Paki-stan, The Philippines, Syria and Yemen) as an important step toward mercury pollution assessment and identification of possible ways of dealing with any adverse impacts. The effort and work which has gone into the assessments mentioned above and the pressing nature of mercury contamination means that the international community should not procrastinate but push for the development of a unified emissions inventory based on national inventories, expert assess-ments and the most advanced information techniques.
Global mercury emissions from anthropogenic sources: the need to develop a unified emissions inventory
Pirrone N;Cinnirella S
2009
Abstract
Improved information on emissions, particularly in Europe and North America, have contributed to further progress in the assessment of the regional impacts of mercury on terrestrial and aquatic envi-ronments (Pirrone et al., 2001), devoted to the preparation of legislative measures aimed to phase out the use of mercury in goods and industrial applications and reduce to the extent possible mer-cury emissions to the atmosphere. In 2002 UNEP Chemicals released the first assessment (Global Mercury Assessment Report, GMA) on global mercury contamination (UNEP, 2002), while in 2008 the report on "Global Atmospheric Mercury Assessment: Sources, Emissions and Transport", the result of the UNEP Governing Council's decision 24/3 I, reported the most updated information by including detailed assessments on China and India, which are the fastest growing economies, as well as for South Africa (Street et al., 2008; Feng et al., 2008; Mukherjee et al, 2008; Leaner et al., 2008). On the other hand, some fundamental sectors that release mercury to the atmosphere are not well documented (i.e. artisanal gold mining, coal-bed fires, biomass burning). In addition, a few inventories have been published under the UNEP-Global Partnership for Mercury Air Transport and Fate Research (UNEP-MFTP) (i.e. Burkina Faso, Madagascar, Cambodia, Paki-stan, The Philippines, Syria and Yemen) as an important step toward mercury pollution assessment and identification of possible ways of dealing with any adverse impacts. The effort and work which has gone into the assessments mentioned above and the pressing nature of mercury contamination means that the international community should not procrastinate but push for the development of a unified emissions inventory based on national inventories, expert assess-ments and the most advanced information techniques.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
