Dynamics of Mercury Pollution on Regional and Global Scales

This book provides a detailed overview of our current understanding of different dynamic patterns involved in the redistribution of mercury in the global environment and its impact on human health and ecosystems. Mercury pollution in different regions of the world is a growing concern from environmental and epidemiological point of view. The increasing trends of energy production from fossil fuel combustion, mercury usage in a large variety of goods and products and the lack of emission control policy, especially in fast developing countries, represent a major environmental and political issue. In the last three years the European Commission, the United Nations, major international and national environmental agencies and governments have posed a significant attention on this growing issues primarily due to the lack of a concerted international effort in controlling and reducing the input of mercury in the global environment and its impact on human health and sensitive ecosystems.