In May 1956, four people went to hospital suffering from fever, slurred speech, convulsions and other symptoms.
More and people from fishing villages near Minamata - on the southern island of Kyushu in Japan - began being similarly ill, baffling doctors.
Three years on, scientists found the cause of what remains the worst case of mercury poisoning in history. Wastewater containing the heavy metal had been dumped in the sea by a local chemical company, poisoning fish that was then eaten by the community.
An international treaty named after the Japanese town has been gathering ratifications since 2013 towards reducing mercury pollution. And we are now happy to deliver good news.
As of today, the number of countries to the Minamata Convention informing the UN that they are enshrining the treaty into law has passed 50[i] – meaning it will enter into force on 16 August 2017.
The Convention bans new mercury mines and phases out existing mines and uses of the substance in products and processes, controls mercury storage and more. UN Environment hosts its interim Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland.
Today’s news therefore means that human health and the environment will receive a major boost against the adverse effects of mercury.
The First Conference of the Parties of the treaty is now confirmed to take place from Sunday, 24 September to Friday, 29 September 2017 in Geneva. The High Level Segment will convene under the slogan ‘Making Mercury History!’.
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[i] The European Union and seven of its Member States, namely the Governments of Bulgaria, Denmark, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Romania and Sweden deposited their instruments of ratification with the Office of Legal Affairs at the UN Headquarters in New York. The current number of future Parties is 52
