Human Rights Impacts of Mercury Pollution

The report details how mercury pollution impacts human health and violates international human rights. It highlights the vulnerability of fetuses and children to neurotoxins, the dangers of artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM), and the systemic failure to protect workers and communities from toxic exposure. Key examples include the Minamata disaster in Japan and mercury-contaminated grain in Iraq.

• Mercury is a potent neurotoxin with no known safe exposure level, and it is particularly harmful to fetuses, children, and women of childbearing age. Fetal brain mercury levels often exceed maternal blood levels, leading to impairments in cognitive thinking, memory, attention, language, and motor skills.
• Industrial mercury emissions in the United States are estimated to have reduced the IQ of between 300,000 and 600,000 children, with an associated annual productivity loss of 8.7 billion USD, of which 1.3 billion USD is attributed to power plants.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (n.d.). Human Rights Impacts of Mercury Pollution. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/HR_Mercury.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Human Rights Impacts of Mercury Pollution. n.d. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/HR_Mercury.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Human Rights Impacts of Mercury Pollution |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/HR_Mercury.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallawndhuman, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Human Rights Impacts of Mercury Pollution}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/HR_Mercury.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }