W.H.O. Lauded for Supporting Amalgam 'Phase Down,' Ban on Mercury in Skin Cosmetics as Treaty Negotiations Start in Stockholm

STOCKHOLM, June 11, 2010 - World governments, under the auspices of the United Nations Environment
Programme, today completed the first step towards a legally binding treaty to
control mercury pollution at the first Intergovernmental Negotiating
Committee (INC) meeting, in Stockholm, Sweden. These initial discussions will
provide a strong basis for developing the text of the treaty, starting at the
next INC meeting in Tokyo, Japan, January 2011.

"The participation of 132 countries reaffirmed the importance and
international commitment to address the global mercury problem," said Elena
Lymberidi-Settimo of the European Environmental Bureau and the Zero Mercury
Working Group. "We hope that this first round of discussions covering all
issues will open the way to more substantive discussions on legally binding
control measures in order to minimise and, where feasible, eliminate mercury
from use, supply and emissions globally."

"We applaud the World Health Organization's (W.H.O.'s) statement during
the INC to stop the production of skin lightening cosmetics containing
mercury, as they present a serious exposure risk worldwide(i)," said Michael
Bender of the Zero Mercury Working Group. "We also welcome W.H.O. interest in
'phase downing'(ii) the use of dental amalgam.(iii) This may be of particular
interest in the U.S. as the FDA decided yesterday to review dental amalgam
and in particular risks to vulnerable populations."(iv)

During the meeting countries expressed their views on potential targeted
control provisions on mercury issues such as supply; storage; use in products
and processes; artisanal small scale gold mining; trade; atmospheric
emissions; waste and contaminated sites; as well as on compliance, Countries
and regions also expressed their opinions on how discussions should unfold
during the upcoming INCs.

"We now look forward to engaging in focused discussions in areas such as
supply, trade and storage of surplus mercury where substantial progress can
be made," said Susan Keane of the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Rico Euripidou, of the South African NGO groundwork, Friends of the Earth
South Africa, noted: "We have made a good start towards establishing a treaty
to control mercury pollution that will ultimately protect the fish we eat
from this poison."

Mercury is a dangerous neurotoxin that makes its way up the food chain
into humans, and puts developing foetuses and young children most at risk.
Five Intergovernmental negotiating committee meetings are foreseen to take
place to complete the work on a mercury treaty before 2013.

For more information, see:

    www.zeromercury.org
    www.mercurypolicy.org

The Zero-Hg Working Group (ZMWG), www.zeromercury.org, is an
international coalition of more than 80 public interest environmental and
health non-governmental organizations from over 45 countries from around the
world that strives for zero supply, demand, and emissions of mercury from all
anthropogenic sources, with the goal of reducing mercury in the global
environment to a minimum.

(i)
mercurypolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/skincreamhgfactsheet_may31_final.pdf

(ii)
mercurypolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/who_draft_presentation_final1.pdf

(iii)
mercurypolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/who_update_inc1.pdf

(iv)
www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm215061.htm

Michael Bender, +1-802-223-9000, +1-802-917-4579, mercurypolicy at aol.com