Hyderabad hosts international conference on global mercury pollution

The 17th International Conference on Mercury as a Global Pollutant (ICMGP 2026) has opened at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad. This marks the first time a conference linked to the Minamata Convention has been hosted in India.

Experts from 26 countries are discussing the health and environmental impacts of mercury, noting that human-caused mercury levels have increased by 450 percent according to the World Health Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme. The conference focuses on the ten-year enforcement of the Minamata Convention, a global treaty designed to protect human health and the environment from mercury emissions.

Key areas of concern include mercury in the atmosphere, oceans, and terrestrial environments, as well as bioaccumulation. Specific sectors under scrutiny include artisanal and small-scale gold mining—which the UNEP identifies as the largest source of human-caused mercury pollution—the cosmetics industry, and traditional medicines. Scientists warned that mercury exposure can cause damage to the nervous, digestive, and immune systems, with fetuses and young children being particularly vulnerable to neurological defects.