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Risk Reduction Activities Mercury Task Force

Risk Reduction Activities Mercury Task Force. Chemicals Management Forum San Antonio, Texas May 15-16, 2012. Commission for Environmental Cooperation. Overview. North American Regional Action Plan for Mercury Risk assessment and management activities 2000- 2010 Future direction.

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Risk Reduction Activities Mercury Task Force

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  1. Risk Reduction Activities Mercury Task Force Chemicals Management Forum San Antonio, Texas May 15-16, 2012 Commission for Environmental Cooperation

  2. Overview • North American Regional Action Plan for Mercury • Risk assessment and management activities2000-2010 • Future direction

  3. Mercury Task Force Background • CEC Council called for North American Regional Action Plan for Mercury • Mercury Task Force created by SMOC to develop and implement NARAP • Goal reduce anthropogenic releases of mercury to naturally-occurring levels. • Finalized in 2000, envisioned as a 10-year plan.

  4. Risk assessment and management activitiesincluded in Mercury NARAP Actions were taken in four primary areas : • Atmospheric emissions of mercury • Mercury in processes, operations and products • Mercury waste management approaches Research, monitoring, modeling, assessment and inventories

  5. Atmospheric emissions of mercury Goal: reduce air emissions 50% by 2006 (1990 baseline) • Canada, United States exceeded goal • Mexico- established baseline emissions inventory prepared with CEC support in 2001 (preliminary) and updated in 2008

  6. Mercury in processes, operations and products Reduce use of mercury in products and processes • Significant reduction in the use of mercury in switches, batteries and measuring devices. • Mercury use phase-out in chlor-alkali plants, other industries. • CEC Americas workshop to reduce mercury use in products CEC-supported work in Mexico to reduce mercury use in hospitals

  7. Mercury supply and waste management • CEC- supported efforts to identify options for managing mercury products, especially from hospitals • New CEC waste management study in 2012 • Mercury supply issues (not included in NARAP but identified as focus area): • CEC Mexican Mercury Market Report identifies product and elemental imports, exports and uses. • CEC assessment of primary and secondary mercury supplies in Mexico investigates production potential

  8. Improved monitoring and assessment • CEC-supported wet deposition monitoring in Mexico: • Participation in North American Wet Deposition Network • Mexico: January 2012, Celestun became part of the Global Mercury Observation System (GMOS). • CEC Tri-national Maternal Blood Contaminant Study • Proname index monitoring sites for PBTs include mercury (CEC-supported)

  9. Future Direction • SMOC Working Group reaffirmed need for ongoing trilateral coordination to: • Manage mercury use and supply, reduce releases • Bring countries to a common level of capacity to reduce risks • Current CEC mercury activities: • Development of 5-year mercury strategy • Tri-national mercury waste management options

  10. For more information CommissionforEnvironmentalCooperation http://www.cec.org/Page.asp?PageID=924&SiteNodeID=1058 US EnvironmentalProtectionAgency http://www.epa.gov/mercury/ EnvironmentCanada http://www.ec.gc.ca/toxiques-toxics/Default.asp?lang=En&n=98E80CC6-1&xml=9767F4A9-2EF7-4A00-B3AF-D900394C6EC6 Instituto Nacional de Ecología http://www.ine.gob.mx/

  11. ¡¡GRACIAS!! Three countries. One environment.

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