8. Conclusions

This evaluation of the Government of Canada’s risk management of mercury has allowed the consolidation of the results of various actions. In addition, a process has been established to track the progress made in achieving the Risk Management Strategy objective. Key conclusions of this evaluation are as follows:

1. Progress is being made in minimizing, and where feasible, eliminating anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury to the environment. Given continuing adverse environmental effects, efforts should continue to be made to lower mercury levels in the environment

• domestic mercury emissions to air and releases to water continued to decrease since 2007 as Canadian industries and businesses implemented legal requirements and voluntary best practices
• environmental monitoring data have shown some decreases in levels of mercury in air and some animal populations. However, increasing trends in mercury levels have been noted in air at some locations in the Arctic and western Canada and in some Arctic and Great Lakes animal populations. Mercury emissions from sources in Asia, changing food webs,  and changes in weather conditions due to climate change may play a role in these increasing trends
• the levels of mercury found in the environment are the result of both natural and human factors. Climate change, changes in land use, interactions with other chemical substances, the complex behaviour of mercury in the environment, and other factors, often make it difficult to see a direct connection between the actions taken to manage the risks posed by mercury and the actual levels of mercury in the environment

2. There has been progress in minimizing human exposure to mercury. Efforts should continue to decrease mercury exposure as much as possible in order to protect human health

• levels of mercury in the general population are low and stable
• levels in southern First Nations populations sampled under the First Nations Biomonitoring Initiative were not significantly different than those of the general Canadian population, although there was much more individual variability within these populations. As well, six of the thirteen First Nations communities in this study showed statistically higher mercury levels than the general Canadian population
• Northern Inuit populations have higher levels of mercury in their blood but their levels have been decreasing over time. These decreases may be due to a reduction in consumption of certain country foods. Given the nutritional, cultural, and spiritual benefits of traditional diets, efforts need to continue to decrease mercury levels in these food webs, as much as possible, to protect human health
• additional actions have been taken by the Government of Canada to manage other potential exposure sources of mercury, including paints, toys, cosmetics, natural health products, drinking water and pesticides

3. Domestic controls put in place have contributed to the Risk Management Strategy’s environmental objective. Newer controls may not yet have had their full effect given the short timeframe examined

• objectives were achieved for the Canada-wide Standard for coal-fired electric power generation plants and for the Pollution Prevention Notices for mercury switches and dental amalgam waste
• the Products Containing Mercury Regulations, the Reduction of Carbon Dioxide from Coal-Fired Generation of Electricity Regulations, and other controls proposed in the Risk Management Strategy are now in force and their performance will be evaluated in the future
• risk management efforts in mercury waste management (e.g. the Code of Practice for the Environmentally Sound Management of End-of-life Lamps Containing Mercury) are ongoing
• new controls for mercury have been introduced, including the Export of Substances on the Export Control List Regulations and the National Strategy for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Disposal of Lamps Containing Mercury Act

4. Canada has supported the international community in creating and implementing a legally binding mercury agreement, the Minamata Convention on Mercury. Continued engagement and leadership internationally are essential to support this agreement’s ratification, implementation, and objectives

• mercury is a global pollutant, its cycling is complex, and its entry into the ecosystem is partly influenced by foreign-sourced mercury air emissions
• Canadian models have estimated that 97% of mercury deposited in Canada as a result of human activities originates outside the country
• significant global emission reductions are needed under the Minamata Convention to reduce the risks from mercury to Canadians

5. In light of the results of this performance evaluation, current and planned mercury risk management efforts should continue in order to manage risks from mercury. Performance measurement and monitoring activities play an important role in Canada’s risk management efforts and should also continue

• while the Risk Management Strategy has proven useful in managing mercury from industrial emissions and releases, the risk is shifting to other sources, such as the disposal of products containing mercury. Additional efforts are being made to responsibly manage waste from these products
• performance measurement is a useful tool for compiling and analyzing information on the collective efforts to manage the risks of mercury and communicating this information to the public
• data obtained through Canada’s various human biomonitoring programs are essential to determine trends in Canadians’ exposure to mercury
• data obtained through Canada’s monitoring and surveillance activities are necessary to determine spatial and temporal trends of mercury in key environmental media
• environmental monitoring should continue as it provides information that is critical to performance measurement. Ongoing monitoring is important since changes in emissions and ecosystem shifts are causing changes in the trends of mercury levels in the environment as well. In particular, Environment and Climate Change Canada will continue hosting an informal data repository for long-term mercury air measurements called the Atmospheric Mercury Monitoring Network