Global Sources and Pathways of Mercury in the Context of Human Health
Open Access
- 21 January 2017
- journal article
- review article
- Published by MDPI AG in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
- Vol. 14 (1), 105
- https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14010105
Abstract
This paper reviews information from the existing literature and the EU GMOS (Global Mercury Observation System) project to assess the current scientific knowledge on global mercury releases into the atmosphere, on global atmospheric transport and deposition, and on the linkage between environmental contamination and potential impacts on human health. The review concludes that assessment of global sources and pathways of mercury in the context of human health is important for being able to monitor the effects from implementation of the Minamata Convention targets, although new research is needed on the improvement of emission inventory data, the chemical and physical behaviour of mercury in the atmosphere, the improvement of monitoring network data, predictions of future emissions and speciation, and on the subsequent effects on the environment, human health, as well as the economic costs and benefits of reducing these aspects.Funding Information
- European Commission (265113)
This publication has 48 references indexed in Scilit:
- Benefits of European Climate Policies for Mercury Air PollutionAtmosphere, 2014
- Legacy impacts of all‐time anthropogenic emissions on the global mercury cycleGlobal Biogeochemical Cycles, 2013
- Mercury as a Global Pollutant: Sources, Pathways, and EffectsEnvironmental Science & Technology, 2013
- Evidence on the Human Health Effects of Low-Level Methylmercury ExposureEnvironmental Health Perspectives, 2012
- All-Time Releases of Mercury to the Atmosphere from Human ActivitiesEnvironmental Science & Technology, 2011
- Global Source–Receptor Relationships for Mercury Deposition Under Present-Day and 2050 Emissions ScenariosEnvironmental Science & Technology, 2011
- Temporal trends of Hg in Arctic biota, an updateScience of The Total Environment, 2011
- Adult Women’s Blood Mercury Concentrations Vary Regionally in the United States: Association with Patterns of Fish Consumption (NHANES 1999–2004)Environmental Health Perspectives, 2009
- Human impacts on open ocean mercury concentrationsGlobal Biogeochemical Cycles, 2007
- Review: Environmental exposure to mercury and its toxicopathologic implications for public healthEnvironmental Toxicology and Water Quality, 2003