New data shows: Mercury emissions rising globally

According to UNEP anthropogenic sources are responsible for about 30% of annual emissions of mercury to air, another 10% comes from natural geological sources, and the rest (60%) is from ‘re-emissions’ of previously released mercury that has built up in surface soils and oceans. Mercury is contaminating soils and rivers, and much of human exposure to mercury is through the consumption of contaminated fish.  
Mercury poisoning leads to sensory impairment, disturbed sensation and a lack of co-ordination, kidney lung and brain disfunction and even death.

The new UNEP report said parts of Africa, Asia and South America could see increasing emissions of mercury into the environment, with artisanal and small-scale gold mining emissions being the major source of emissions to air, at 727 tons per year globally in 2010, followed by coal burning.
Sub-Saharan Africa’s emissions were in the 168-154 tons/year range, 16.1% of the global average of 1,960 tons/year (range 1,010-4,070), topped only by East and Southeast Asia, with a range of 395-1,690 tons/year, or 39.7% of the total. After South Africa came South America, with an emission range of 128- 465 tons/ year (12.5% of the total), according to UNEP’s Global Mercury Assessment 2013.

The GMA report reiterated that much human exposure to mercury is through the consumption of contaminated fish, making aquatic environments the critical link to human health. UNEP reports that man-made emissions have caused the amount of mercury in the top 100 metres of the world’s oceans to double during the last 100 years. Along with a parallel UNEP publication "Mercury; Time to Act", the new assessment will be formally presented at the International Negotiating Committee on Mercury (INC5), taking place in Geneva this week (January 13- January 18).
 

Future trends
Another scientific report published a few days ago by Sunderland and Selin (see below) projects the historical trends into the future. The authors come to the alarming conclusion, that inputs of mercury to ecosystems are expected to increase substantially in the future, in part due to growth in the legacy reservoirs of mercury in oceanic and terrestrial ecosystems. Seawater mercury concentration trajectories in areas such as the North Pacific Ocean that supply large quantities of marine fish to the global seafood market are projected to increase by more than 50% by 2050. Their report concludes, that aggressive anthropogenic emission reductions are needed to reduce MeHg exposures and associated health impacts on humans and wildlife and protect the integrity of one of the last wild-food sources globally.