CONTAMINATED SITE

IDENTIFICATION, HOTSPOT

MAPPING, AND MERCURY

MONITORING ACTIVITIES: GLOBAL LINKAGES FOR BELIZE

David Evers

Biodiversity Research Institute

Portland, Maine, USA

January 23, 2019

• Mercury exposure in Belize can be determined through:

✓ Biological Hg Hotspot Mapping

✓ Seafood Hg Exposure

✓ Human exposure through dietary MeHg uptake

✓ Human exposure through cosmetic Hg (presented by

Molly Taylor)

✓ Wildlife Hg Exposure

✓ Air Hg deposition

What are some potential mercury monitoring

pilot projects in Belize?

Where are the biological mercury hotspots of concern?

• 7 predictor variables used to analyze mercury sensitivity by watershed

• Many variables are related to wetland and aquatic habitats

• Contaminated sites are included, but their presence may not necessarily mean there is a biological Hg hotspot

KEY VARIABLES USED FOR DEVELOPING A MODEL: EXAMPLE FOR BELIZE

• Watershed sensitivity to Hg input and

subsequent methylation is key

• Highest ranking of Hg sensitivity are

the places of greatest concern

Next Steps for understanding

contaminated sites: Belize

What is Needed:

Location of informal

dumping sites

Location of wastewater

releases

Therefore, programs to monitor the Treaty’s effectiveness require sampling of Hg in the tissues of organisms, namely fish, birds and mammals (including people).

MONITORING HG IN BIOTA IS A NECESSITY

FISH

SAMPLING

FISH SAMPLING: DESIGN

TO BE DETERMINED IN

BELIZE

40 to 80 samples

Market sampling of fish commonly

consumed and/or of concern

Used small sample of muscle

tissue (fillet)

Samples are submitted to BRI lab

HAIR

SAMPLING

HAIR SAMPLING: DESIGN

TO BE DETERMINED FOR

BELIZE

40 samples

Samples provide a way to raise awareness that could lead to studies that can be coordinated with WHO

Health Ministry approved and Ethics Committee protocols need to be met

Multiple communities/fish markets chosen

Samples sent to BRI lab

REGIONAL EXPOSURE OF HG IN HUMANS: GRENADA EXAMPLE

17.8%

22.2%

39.4%

41.3%

41.8%

50.7%

53.6%

78.9%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Latin America (n=247)

Europe (n=352)

Caribbean (n=371)

Africa (n=288)

Grenada (n=55)

Asia (n=548)

North America (n=97)

Oceania (n=308)

Above 1ppm

Below 1ppm

>1 ppm - 42%

>2 ppm - 24%

>3 ppm - 9%

>4 ppm - 5%

AIR HG

SAMPLING

AIR SAMPLING: USING THE LATIN

AMERICAN PASSIVE AIR SAMPLING

NETWORK (LAPAN) EXAMPLE

Distribute 4 samplers at once in one location:

1. One for Hg

2. One as a duplicate

3. One for Hg isotopes

4. One blank to be "deployed" unopened/not

collecting at the location and removed at the end

Place close to meteorological measurements (e.g.,

temperature and wind, precip)

Place in two types of areas

1. Urban/landfill measurements;

2. Remote measurements (i.e., relatively far from

obvious sources)

❖ Analyses conducted by Sandy Steffan at Environment Canada and/or Colin Thackray at Harvard University

❖ Samplers and study by Frank Wania, University of Toronto

WILDLIFE HG

SAMPLING

http://runawaycreekbz.com/

MONITOR MERCURY IN BIRDS – FIRST STEPS IN BELIZE

Based on hotspot maps, measure key

bioindicator species

• Select species that are at the greatest risk

to Hg

• Consider foraging habitat and trophic level

Use Feather & Blood samples

Work in established locations such as at the

Tropical Education Center/Runaway Creek

Preserve and BFREEBrown Pelican

CARIBBEAN

REGION

MERCURY

MONITORING

NETWORK

Basel Convention Regional Centre – Caribbean

Antigua and Barbuda

Saint Kitts and Nevis

CARIBBEAN HG

MONITORING TO DATE (OR

PLANS)

Hg Monitoring in:

• Air deposition (now being initiated)

• Seafood (need to now build on the present db)

• Birds (new and needs to be developed)

• Human – dietary (need to now build on the present data for a more directed study)

• Cosmetic - skin-lightening creams (need to participate in the pending GEF project)

MINAMATA CONVENTION ON MERCURY –

KEY ARTICLES FOR THE FUTURE

Article 22: Effectiveness

Evaluation

“To facilitate the evaluation, the Conference of Parties shall, at its first

meeting, initiate the establishment

of arrangements for providing itself

with comparable monitoring data

on the presence and movement of

mercury and mercury compounds

in the environment as well as trends

in levels of mercury and mercury

compounds observed in biotic media and vulnerable populations”

Article 19: Research,

Development and Monitoring

“Modeling and geographically representative monitoring of levels

of mercury and mercury

compounds in vulnerable

populations and in environmental

media such as fish, marine mammals, sea turtles and birds, as

well as collaboration in the

collection and exchange of

relevant and appropriate samples”

EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE

CONVENTION HAS TWO MAJOR COMPONENTS

Metrics for Direct Release

and Use of Mercury

Emphasize Hg sources of emissions

and releases for Convention Articles that are obligated (e.g., Articles 3,

4, 5, 7 and 8);

Identify short, medium and long

term metrics;

MIAs will identify Hg source priorities

Metrics for Measuring

Environmental Response Measure Hg in air

Measure MeHg availability in biota

Conduct measurements in areas

that are:

Near point sources

Sensitive to methylation

Important food sources for people

HOW CAN CARIBBEAN COUNTRIES

PARTICIPATE IN NEXT STEPS OF THE

MINAMATA CONVENTION?

1. Serve as a regional leader for evaluating the

effectiveness of the Treaty

2. Engage with GEF7-funded projects for reducing the

use and waste of Hg added products

3. Conduct biomonitoring through GEF7 to evaluate

effectiveness and identify areas of concern

UNEP MERCURY AIR TRANSPORT

AND FATE RESEARCH AREA (F&T)

PARTNERSHIP GROUP CAN HELP

Overall goal is to create a global monitoring program to

evaluate the effectiveness of the Treaty

Co-leads:

Nicola Pirrone (Institute of Atmospheric Pollution Research of the National Research Council of Italy)

– Global monitoring of Hg in air

David Evers (Biodiversity Research Institute, United States)

– Global monitoring of Hg in biota

TO PROPERLY EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE CONVENTION,

A STANDARDIZED AND COST-EFFICIENT GLOBAL MERCURY

MONITORING EFFORT IS NEEDED (ARTICLE 22)

Four Goals:

1. Develop an overarching biotic Hg database: (Article 14)

2. Enhance sharing and exchange of information: (Article 17 & 18)

3. Identify spatial and temporal patterns: (Article 19)

4. Monitor environmental Hg levels in key biota over time: (Article 19)

DEVELOP AN OVERARCHING BIOTIC HG DATABASE

BRI’S GBMS DATABASE INCLUDES HG CONCENTRATIONS ON SHELLFISH, TELEOST FISH, SHARKS, AND MARINE MAMMALS.

- >275,000 INDIVIDUAL ORGANISMS

- 1,095 REFERENCES

- 119 COUNTRIES

- >2,700 UNIQUE LOCATIONS.

2. ENHANCE SHARING AND

EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION

UNEP – STAP is helping to expand the GBMS database and is initiating the use of a universally

available data access portal – the existing UN Environment Live platform. This will enhance

information exchange among scientists, decision-makers, and consumers.

Collaboration among:

• UNEP-STAP-GEF

• SETAC

• BRI

COMMUNICATION PIECES GENERATED FOR THE

MINAMATA CONVENTION EE PROCESS

• Information assists with providing informal guidance

that could be used formally by the COP through the

F&T Partnership

• Available at www.briloon.org/Hgpubs http://www.briloon.org/hgcenter/minamata

3. DEVELOP PATTERNS: MATRIX OF TRADE-OFFS FOR MERCURY

AND OMEGA-3 IN VARIOUS SHELLFISH AND FISH

Consumers should be aware of ‘healthier’ versus ‘riskier’ choices when selecting seafood

4. MONITOR ENVIRONMENTAL HG LEVELS IN KEY BIOTA OVER TIME

(Capture data from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); mercury data from GBMS)

CARIBBEAN REGION MERCURY MONITORING NETWORK:

INITIATED EFFORTS

Human Health

1. Measure Hg in fish

2. Measure Hg in skin-

lightening creams

3. Measure Hg in people

– using hair

Ecological Health

1. Measure Hg in fish

2. Measure Hg in air

3. Measure Hg in birds

LEVEL OF STANDARDIZED GLOBAL BIOMONITORING WILL

BE BASED ON DECISIONS BY THE CONFERENCE OF PARTIES

1. To help, the Effectiveness

Evaluation (EE) ad hoc group is

meeting again to generate

guidance

2. The F&T GMP will develop

proposals with UN Environment for

GEF7 funding once monitoring

guidelines are set by the COP

3. The UN Environment Global

Mercury Assessment – 2018 will help

establish best approaches

4. Will include 3 monitoring

compartments: air, biota and

humans.

Contact Jewel Batchasingh

at:

Basal Convention Research

Center – Caribbean

jbatchasingh@gmail.com

Contact David Evers at:

Biodiversity Research Institute, Portland, Maine, USA

David.evers@briloon.org