Progress on Understanding Atmospheric Mercury Hampered by Uncertain Measurements

摘要

Mercury (Hg) is a potent neurotoxin and globally reducing environmental levels is seen as paramount for protecting human and wildlife health. In 2013, many countries finalized the negotiations on, and have now signed, the Minamata Convention on Mercury, which commits participating countries to reduce emissions and use of mercury. Successful implementation of the treaty will require adequate verification through global monitoring. In the past decade, the number of atmospheric measurements of speciated Hg has rapidly multiplied. Mercury data are being collected by monitoring networks in Europe, Canada, East Asia, and the United States. These measurements are relatively expensive and mounting evidence suggests they suffer from significant biases. As a community, we are confronted with the question, "Are current analytical methods for Hg adequate to address policy requirements?" We conclude that better analytical techniques are urgently needed.