By Elizabeth Renter, Natural Society, http://naturalsociety.com/global-convention-bans-mercury-containing-products-misses-others/

As we reported in January of 2013, a convention ten years in the  making has resulted in a treaty  that will ban the production and trade of many products containing mercury  as well as processes where mercury is released into the environment. But critics say the Minamata Convention didn’t go far enough, and suspect  that those in attendance may have helped sway the treaty in their favor.

As the Alliance  for Natural Health reports, 140 countries were present at the convention  earlier this year and over 90 of those countries just recently signed the final  treaty. Because of the timing and the bickering in Washington, the delegation  from the US was recalled due to the government shut-down. But the US joined  on November 6 to sign the treaty.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the Minamata  Convention was named for a city in Japan where mercury contamination from a  chemical factory left the population sick, disabled, or dead after eating fish  affected by the toxin.

Read: Toxic  Mercury Highly Present in Foods, FDA Does Nothing

The treaty is a step in the right direction, without question. The convention  recognizes that mercury is a neurotoxin with potentially deadly effects. It is  linked to kidney damage,  respiratory failure, disability, and death. Unfortunately, mercury is so  pervasive that nearly all people have trace amounts of mercury in their  bodies.

While the convention offered progress, it did miss some crucial points.  Namely, it focused some attention on the harmful mercury-based preservative  known as thimerosal, but it failed to ban the ingredient when found in  mascara and in vaccines.

In mascara, the convention members said, there isn’t a “safe substitute  alternatives” on the market despite there being several mercury-free mascaras  sold to the public. It’s also troubling that the cosmetics industry doesn’t  require companies to label ingredients that make up less than 1% of the  contents. So while it appears as if most American mascaras don’t contain  thimerosal, we just don’t know.

Further, thimerosal is found in vaccines used on newborns and infants, where  they say it’s needed as a preservative for multi-dose injections. The argument  against vaccinations in general is a complex one, but as Dr.  Russell Blaylock points out, these multi-dose vaccines can overstimulate the  young brain’s immune system, potentially destroying brain cells.

When you look at who was in attendance at the convention, these oversights  become a little more understandable. Representatives from biotech giant DuPont  were there – a company that’s been fined in the past for contaminating water  with mercury. Also, the United States Council for International Business, whose  members include Monsanto and 3M, was present.

Again, we are left with the notion that our safety may matter a little  bit to global leaders, but not enough to jeopardize these corporations who  profit from our illness.

Other Popular Stories:

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3. Flu Shots Contain More than 250 Times the EPA’s Safety Limit for  Mercury
4. Body Care Products Loaded with Mercury and Toxins
5. United Nations Urged to Ban Mercury in Vaccines
6. FDA Issues Warning Over Mercury in Skincare  Products