mercury_1_1_optSTAFF REPORT IBD: The Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) has recently launched its recent research report revealing extremely higher levels of mercury pollution in air at some sites, that exceeds permissible the limits of 300 ng/m3.

The report was launched while marking the World Environment Day at its premises. The report was a culmination of the research study conducted in collaboration with European Environmental Bureau (EEB) with support of the Sigrid Rausing Trust, to assess mercury emission.

“The indoor mercury levels at 15 out of 17 dental teaching institutions were found to be above the permissible level, whereas in general hospitals and private dental clinics, it was found in 5 out 7 and 9 out of 9 respectively above the safety limit,” revealed Dr Mahmood A. Khwaja, Senior Advisor, SDPI, while presenting the report.

However, he said, the outdoor air around testing sites showed lower level of mercury as compared to inside air of the institutions.

“So our main area of concern with regard to Mercury pollution now mostly lies in dental hospitals, cement plants and the proposed coal based power plants,” he added.

He also recommended the use of capsulated mercury amalgam for dental filling which is the best alternate of traditional practice of manual mercury amalgam mixing  and which reduces more than 80 percent of the Mercury contaminated wastages.

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