Global treaty demands mercury reduction in mining, but not in vaccines or dental fillings

Sunday, October 20, 2013 by: Ethan A. Huff, staff writer
Tags: mercury reduction, vaccines, dental fillings

(NaturalNews) There is a global initiative currently gaining momentum to vastly reduce the amount of mercury that gets released into the environment as a result of metal mining and other industrial processes, a move that would better protect public health by limiting exposure to this deadly toxin. But strangely absent from this promising international undertaking, known officially as the Minamata Convention on Mercury, is any talk about the continued use of mercury in both vaccines and dental fillings.

On October 7, government officials from across the globe began meeting in Kumamoto, Japan, according to reports, to discuss how they plan to go about adopting the treaty, which will pave the way for it to eventually be signed and ratified. Human Rights Watch (HRW) reports that the convention will require that participating nations reduce mercury use and emissions across a broad range of industries and processes.

"Millions of people around the world are exposed to the toxic effects of mercury," says Juliane Kippenberg, senior children's rights researcher at HRW, concerning the treaty's purpose. "This treaty will help protect both the environment and people's right to health."

This is all good and fine as it pertains to global industry, which is responsible for releasing nearly 2,000 tons of mercury every year into the atmosphere, according to the latest available figures from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). Nearly three-fourths of all mercury emissions worldwide, in fact, come from small-scale gold mines, coal-fired thermal power plants and the production of nonferrous metals.

"Under the Minamata Convention, action on mercury is no longer a voluntary matter," adds Kippenberg about the treaty's importance. "Governments that sign and ratify are now legally obliged to reduce mercury exposure in mining and to make special efforts to protect children and women of childbearing age."

Minamata Convention avoids addressing toxic mercury pollution in vaccines, dental fillings

But what about all that mercury being intentionally added to childhood vaccines, including all those multi-dose flu shots that are being aggressively pushed at local drug stores, big box retailers and even places of employment? Or what about the mercury-laced amalgam fillings that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was forced to admit can cause brain damage and yet still pushes as a "safe" and viable material for dental work?

The Minamata Convention might sound good in theory, but without a comprehensive approach that seeks to eliminate mercury exposure from all sources, it is extremely limited. Heck, the Minamata Convention addresses the mercury that used to be added to thermometers and certain medical products, which were not even injected directly into people's bodies, and yet completely ignores the mercury still found in vaccines and dental fillings.

It is highly concerning that groups like Moms Against Mercury, a grassroots advocacy network working towards removing mercury from vaccines and dental fillings, is openly mocked and scoffed at for trying to protect the public against mercury from these sources, while international treaties are right now being considered that are trying to do the exact same thing sans any mention of mercury in vaccines or dental fillings.

"People around the world are being harmed by mercury right now," admits Kippenberg, affirming what the natural health community has been saying for years. "Governments should save lives and people's health by starting right now to reduce mercury use and emissions in mining and other industries."

We, of course, agree with this sentiment wholeheartedly. But we are also calling on governments to finally admit that mercury in both vaccines and dental fillings is also problematic. These glaring omissions from the Minamata Convention will ultimately fail to protect people against things like kidney failure, respiratory failure and death, all of which can result from mercury exposure in vaccines and dental fillings.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.hrw.org

http://ajw.asahi.com

http://www.momsagainstmercury.org