Suchergebnisse

Abstract
In this paper, our group reports the use of a new framework in sites contaminated with mercury. This is significant because under the Minamata Convention on Mercury each Party shall endeavor to develop appropriate strategies for identifying and assessing sites contaminated by mercury or mercury compounds. This new approach, the "CHILD" framework has five steps: i) Community-based risk characterization; ii) Habilitation; iii) Intervention; iv) Laws and Regulation; and v) Development. We are using this framework in three mercury artisanal mining sites, and preliminary results are depicted in this report.

Environmental mercury (Hg) contamination is an urgent global health threat. The complexity of Hg in the environment can hinder accurate determination of ecological and human health risks, particularly within the context of the rapid global changes that are altering many ecological processes, socioeconomic patterns, and other factors like infectious disease incidence, which can affect Hg exposures and health outcomes. However, the success of global Hg-reduction efforts depends on accurate assessments of their effectiveness in reducing health risks. In this paper, we examine the role that key extrinsic and intrinsic drivers play on several aspects of Hg risk to humans and organisms in the environment. We do so within three key domains of ecological and human health risk. First, we examine how extrinsic global change drivers influence pathways of Hg bioaccumulation and biomagnification through food webs. Next, we describe how extrinsic socioeconomic drivers at a global scale, and intrinsic individual-level drivers, influence human Hg exposure. Finally, we address how the adverse health effects of Hg in humans and wildlife are modulated by a range of extrinsic and intrinsic drivers within the context of rapid global change. Incorporating components of these three domains into research and monitoring will facilitate a more holistic understanding of how ecological and societal drivers interact to influence Hg health risks. ; Dartmouth College Toxic Metals Superfund Research Program through National Institute of Environmental Health [R13 ES028077-01, P42ES007373]; USGS Environmental Health Mission Area, Contaminant Biology Program; IUF (Institut Universitaire de France) ; The paper was written as part of the synthesis effort for the 13th International Conference on Mercury as a Global Pollutant, Providence, Rhode Island, July 16-21, 2017. It was supported by Dartmouth College Toxic Metals Superfund Research Program through funds from the National Institute of Environmental Health under Award Number R13 ES028077-01 and Award Number P42ES007373. Funding was also provided by the USGS Environmental Health Mission Area, Contaminant Biology Program. The IUF (Institut Universitaire de France) is thanked for its support to PB. We appreciate the technical comments and supports of Celia Chen and Charley Driscoll, and the insightful comments and editing of Stacey Tobin and two anonymous reviewers. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. ; Public domain authored by a U.S. government employee