Manzanillo, Colima — Profepa immobilizes a shipment of more than 5 tons of mercury that was intended to be illegally exported to Bolivia. The Federal Attorney’s Office for Environmental Protection said the shipment was stopped due to a lack of permits.
Feds found the shipment set for export in the Port of Manzanillo, Colima from where they seized five tons of liquid mercury. The product was intended to be sent in paint cans to the multi-member state of Bolivia.
“Profepa inspectors, elements of the FGR Mexico and officers of Aduanas and SEMAR went to the Port of Manzanillo in Colima on April 16 with the objective of making an inspection visit related to the discovery of a shipment of 5 tons of mercury, in which they determined that it did not have the permission of the environmental authority to be exported. This toxic element was identified by customs authorities,” they said.
The Mexican National Customs Agency reported the discovery of the shipment after confirming its presence through physical and chemical analysis conducted by its central laboratory. Based on this, Profepa (the Federal Attorney’s Office for Environmental Protection) requested the immobilization of the shipment at customs and its placement in a controlled area.
Profepa (Procuraduria Federal de Proteccion al Ambiente) personnel, in collaboration with members of the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) and the National Customs Agency, confirmed the presence of mercury in 20-liter plastic buckets. The contents were corroborated through random sampling of some of the 216 buckets identified, they said in a statement.
According to Article 414 of the Federal Penal Code, anyone who illegally engages in trafficking, importing, or exporting substances, among others, that are hazardous due to their corrosive, reactive, explosive, toxic, flammable, radioactive, or other similar characteristics, is punishable by one to nine years in prison and a fine.
Exposure to mercury, even in small amounts, can cause serious health problems. Mercury is a chemical element whose use, handling, storage, manufacturing, import, and export are restricted by the Minamata Convention due to its significant environmental and health impacts.
Highlights of the Minamata Convention include a ban on new mercury mines, a phase-out of existing ones, a reduction in mercury use in a range of products and processes, the promotion of measures to control emissions into the atmosphere and to land and water, and the lack of regulation of the artisanal and small-scale mining sector.
This agreement seeks to protect human health and the environment from anthropogenic emissions and releases of this element and its compounds. With this action, Mexico complies with the agreement, combats international mercury trafficking and protects human health and the environment.
