linking mercury science and policy from sources to seafood...2013 unep minimata treaty ratified 2007...

Linking Mercury Science and Policy from Sources to Seafood

Celia Chen1,2, Ph.D., Laurie Rardin2, M.S, Nancy Serrell2, M.A.

1Project 2: Methylmercury Production

and Fate 2Research Translation Core

Mercury Policy and the Dartmouth SRP

1997 Mercury Report to Congress released

1995 Dartmouth

SRP research on Hg

1997 Hg Science and Policy Workshop

2004 Dartmouth

SRP Hg Consortium

Meeting 2003

HBRF Science Links Project

begins

2000 USEPA

determined HAPs need

control 2011 US Mercury Air

Toxics Rule Risk Assessment

2010 UNEP INC1-5 begins

2013 UNEP

Minimata Treaty ratified

2007 Mercury

Matters report, Bioscience

papers

2010 C-MERC formed

2006 Marine Hg Workshop

2012 Environ.

Res. & EHP special issues

Sources to Seafood report

released

2008 Ecohealth

special issue

EHP paper

2009, 2011, 2013 Comprehensive

National Mercury Monitoring Act

introduced

Why Mercury?

§  Naturally occurring element - human activities greatly accelerate release to the environment.

§  Ranked 3rd on U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry priority list of contaminants.

§  Advisories exist in all 50 states, more acres/miles under advisories for mercury than all other contaminants.

§  Evidence exists for adverse health effects at low levels of mercury exposure (due to methylmercury).

(ATSDR 2011, NFLA 2010, Karagas et al. 2012)

Global Mercury Assessment, UNEP 2013

Fossil fuel combustion is the largest source of anthropogenic mercury emissions in developed countries. Emissions from gold mining are the largest current source globally.

4

Contributions to Atmosphere, 2010

Artisanal and small-scale gold

production

Coal Combustion

Atmospheric Emissions, 2010

Global Mercury Assessment, UNEP 2013

Asia is the largest current source of atmospheric emissions. Developed countries are the largest source of legacy mercury.

Mercury is released directly to rivers and coastal waters from thousands of sites.

Red = mercury mining and processing Blue & green = chlor-alkali plants Gold = gold and silver mining and processing Pink = non-ferrous metal smelters Yellow = acetaldehyde, PVC, and vinyl acetate Kocman et al. 2013

Chen et al. 2012, Sources to Seafood: Mercury Pollution in the Marine Environment

Hg0 (Elemental)

Hg2+ (Oxidized)

Hg2+ CH3Hg+

(MonoMeHg) Increasing %MonoMeHg

Where does mercury come from and where does it go?

Why is mercury so high in fish? Mercury biomagnifies 100,000,000 times from water to top predator fish


Why is mercury so high in fish? Mercury biomagnifies 100,000,000 times from water to top predator fish


Project 2

Translating Relevant Mercury Science to Policy

http://www.open-pharmacy-research.ca

Research Policy

Mercury Policy and the Dartmouth SRP

1997 Mercury Report to Congress released

1995 Dartmouth

SRP research on Hg

1997 Hg Science and Policy Workshop

2004 Dartmouth

SRP Hg Consortium

Meeting 2003

HBRF Science Links Project

begins

2000 USEPA

determined HAPs need

control 2011 US Mercury Air

Toxics Rule Risk Assessment

2010 UNEP INC1-5 begins

2013 UNEP

Minimata Treaty ratified

2007 Mercury

Matters report, Bioscience

papers

2010 C-MERC formed

2006 Marine Hg Workshop

2012 Environ.

Res. & EHP special issues

Sources to Seafood report

released

2008 Ecohealth

special issue

EHP paper

2009, 2011, 2013 Comprehensive

National Mercury Monitoring Act

introduced

Hubbard Brook Research Foundation Science Links Program(2003-7) •  8 member committee

•  Focus on mercury in freshwater and upland ecosystems

•  Two synthesis papers published in Bioscience 2007

•  “Mercury Matters” report released in 2007

•  Briefings held in Wash. DC

Dartmouth SRP 2006 Regional Workshop

•  New focus on mercury in marine ecosystems

•  Obtained NIEHS conference support

•  50 workshop participants from the Northeast US

•  Special volume of EcoHealth, 2008 (5 papers)

•  Environmental Health Perspectives Meeting Report

CHILDREN’S ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND DISEASE PREVENTION RESEARCH CENTER AT DARTMOUTH

Clean Air Markets Division

Office of Research and Development

Coastal and Marine Mercury Ecosystem Research Collaborative (C-MERC) •  Scientists conducting

research on mercury in marine systems from sources to human receptors

•  Enhance communication between researchers, managers and policy-makers

•  Identify science-relevant policy questions

•  Synthesize, interpret and translate scientific findings

C-MERC (2010-2012) •  2010 convened workshop

•  70+ scientists and policy experts; 2 years

•  11 peer-reviewed papers (EHP, Environ. Res)

•  Summary report: Sources to Seafood

•  Briefings in Washington DC to USEPA, NOAA, State Dept., Congress

San Francisco Bay

Gulf of Mexico

Chesapeake Bay

NY/NJ Harbor Long Island

Sound

Gulf of Maine

Open Ocean

Tropical Oceans

Arctic Ocean

A Range of Marine Ecosystems

San Francisco Bay

Gulf of Mexico

Chesapeake Bay


Sound

Gulf of Maine

Open Ocean

Tropical Oceans

Arctic Ocean

Increasing ecosystem scales


San Francisco Bay

Gulf of Mexico

Chesapeake Bay


Sound

Gulf of Maine

Open Ocean

Tropical Oceans

Arctic Ocean

Interdisciplinary synthesis papers


United States Policy Air emissions •  Mercury and Air Toxics

Standards (MATS) (12/2011 signed; effective 2015)

•  MATS Risk Assessment

Translation of Science to Policy International Policy (UNEP) Global Mercury Instrument Air Emissions and Land/water releases •  2010-12 International Negotiating

Conferences (INC) 1-4 •  January 2013 INC-5 Switzerland •  October 2013 Minimata Treaty, Japan

Translation of Science for Policy: Arsenic in food •  Arsenic found at levels of

concern in rice and other food products

•  FDA and WHO policy

•  Collaboration between Dartmouth SRP and Children’s Health Center

•  Involvement of Project and Core Leaders, Trainees

•  Workshop in September 2015

Where do we go from here? Collaborative for Food Arsenic Risk and Regulation (C-FARR)

C- MERC Steering Committee Charles Driscoll, Ph.D. Department of Engineering, Syracuse University David Evers, Ph.D. BioDiversity Research Institute Margaret Karagas, Ph.D. Biostatistics & Epidemiology, Dept. of Community and Family Medicine, Dartmouth Medical School, Director of CEHDPR Center Robert Mason, PhD. Department of Marine Science, University of Connecticut Rita Schoeny, Ph.D. Office of Water, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Elsie Sunderland, Ph.D. School of Engineering and Applied Science, Harvard University & Harvard School of Public Health

Consultants Kathy Lambert, M.S. Harvard Forest, Harvard University Catherine Schmidt, M.S. University of Maine Sea Grant

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Translating Science for the Public

http://www.dartmouth.edu/~toxmetal/mercury-source-to-seafood/index.html

linking mercury science and policy from sources to seafood...2013 unep minimata treaty ratified 2007...

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