environment

Toxic chemical checked

Panama, Ecuador and Chile have agreed to participate in a program to inventory products that contain mercury, a potentially deadly environmental pollutant.

The project was announced by Natalia Young, national director of the Protección de Calidad Ambiental department of the Autoridad Nacional del Ambiente (Anam).

The project will receive technical and methodological support from the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (Unitar) and will be financed by Switzerland.

The inventory will allow the countries to devise a plan for managing products that contain mercury, Young said.

The first inventory of mercury emissions into the air, water, soil, and garbage has already been undertaken and revealed that there are currently no major problems with contamination.

However, this highly toxic chemical is present in many everyday products, including thermometers, pressure gauges, fluorescent lighting, dental fillings, and batteries.

Consumers should verify that certain products contain low concentrations of mercury, Young warned.

One of the biggest problems in Panama is the use of mercury for magico-religious purposes. A study published a few years ago indicated that mercury is sprinkled on the floors of homes in Caribbean and Latino communities. The spills release toxic levels of mercury vapor over long periods of time.