AN environmentalist, Mr. Leslie Adogame, on Tuesday called on the Federal Government to ban the importation and use of mercury products because of their adverse effects on human health and the environment.
Adogame, Executive Director, Sustainable Research and Action for Environmental Development (SRADev Nigeria), told a news conference in Lagos that 77 per cent of mercury products used in the country were imported.
“Mercury is an environmental global pollutant, which is yet to be addressed in Nigeria. It is a toxic substance of global concern that causes harm to human health, wildlife and the ecosystem.
“In Nigeria, mercury is still unsustainably in use, and this should be given urgent attention by the Federal Government and relevant agencies,” he said.
Adogame said that in spite of the adopted Strategic Approach to International Chemical Management, artisanal and small-scale gold mining activities in metallic mercury were still high in Nigeria.
He noted that mercury was still being used in switches, batteries, fluorescent lamps, barometers, cameras, thermometers and cosmetics.
The expert also noted that mercury was being used in medical services, especially in laboratory works.
The environmentalist said that although there were alternatives, health institutions in the country still depend on the use of mercury-based medical devices.
He said that many countries had embraced mercury-free healthcare.
Adogame expressed regrets that there was a lack of effective control in international trade in mercury in Nigeria, which, he said, resulted in the dumping of mercury products in the country’s markets.
“Today, there are pockets of artisanal and small-scale gold miners’ sites scattered all over the country, whose activities are not effectively monitored by the government. We need to learn from the case of Zamfara lead poisoning in 2010 during which about 200 children died,” Adogame said.
He urged the federal ministries of environment and health to urgently develop an integrated mercury waste management plan for the country.
Adogame called on the three tiers of government to educate artisans and miners on the management of mercury products.