Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
5117307 | Journal of Environmental Management | 2016 | 7 Pages |
Abstract
Several developing countries have limited or no information about exposures near anthropogenic mercury sources and no studies have quantified costs of mercury pollution or economic benefits to mercury pollution prevention in these countries. In this study, we present data on mercury concentrations in human hair from subpopulations in developing countries most likely to benefit from the implementation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury. These data are then used to estimate economic costs of mercury exposure in these communities. Hair samples were collected from sites located in 15 countries. We used a linear dose-response relationship that previously identified a 0.18 IQ point decrement per part per million (ppm) increase in hair mercury, and modeled a base case scenario assuming a reference level of 1Â ppm, and a second scenario assuming no reference level. We then estimated the corresponding increases in intellectual disability and lost Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALY). A total of 236 participants provided hair samples for analysis, with an estimated population at risk of mercury exposure near the 15 sites of 11,302,582. Average mercury levels were in the range of 0.48 ppm-4.60Â ppm, and 61% of all participants had hair mercury concentrations greater than 1Â ppm, the level that approximately corresponds to the USA EPA reference dose. An additional 1310 cases of intellectual disability attributable to mercury exposure were identified annually (4110 assuming no reference level), resulting in 16,501 lost DALYs (51,809 assuming no reference level). A total of $77.4 million in lost economic productivity was estimated assuming a 1Â ppm reference level and $130 million if no reference level was used. We conclude that significant mercury exposures occur in developing and transition country communities near sources named in the Minamata Convention, and our estimates suggest that a large economic burden could be avoided by timely implementation of measures to prevent mercury exposures.
Keywords
EPADALYsLMICsUNEPPPPASGMDALYEnvironmental Protection Agencyartisanal small-scale gold miningpurchasing power parityUnited Nations Environment Programmeintellectual quotientGross domestic productGDPMercuryDisability-Adjusted Life Yearsintellectual disabilityDeveloping countriesLow- and middle-income countries
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Energy
Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
Authors
Leonardo Trasande, Joseph DiGangi, David C. Evers, Jindrich Petrlik, David G. Buck, Jan Å amánek, Bjorn Beeler, Madeline A. Turnquist, Kevin Regan,