Cuba plans to manage mercury-containing products

HAVANA, Cuba, Feb 20 (ACN) The Center for Environmental Studies of Cienfuegos (CEAC by its Spanish acronym) began its preparation for the implementation of the project Strengthening of national capacities for the management of mercury as support for the implementation of the Minamata Convention in Cuba.

Yoelvis Bolaños Alvarez, head of the project, explained after a meeting with specialists, that its general objective consists of measuring mercury-containing products, their wastes and the study of contaminated sites.

The Network of Nuclear Communicators (REDNUC) quoted his statements to the effect that its duration will be three years and that it is part of the sectorial program Technologies of nuclear applications, lasers, optics and ultrasonics to produce and generalize goods and services, of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment.

He added that it is a counterpart of the international project Improvement of the national management framework to support the implementation of the Minamata Convention in Cuba, focused on mercury stockpile measurements and on the evaluation of contaminated sites.

The latter is funded by the International Specific Program for Capacity Building and Technical Assistance (SIP), of the Minamata Convention, signed in 2013 in the Japanese city of Kumamoto and entered into force on August 16, 2017, according to specialists in the field.

Mercury is an element naturally present in the air, water and soils, although in small quantities, its exposure can cause serious health problems and is dangerous for intrauterine development and in the early stages of life, warned experts.