UN Treaty Bans Mercury! Well, Except in Mascara, Vaccines, Dental Fillings

So how do you protect yourself from hidden mercury when it’s not even listed on the label? In January, the Minamata Convention took place, where 140 countries finalized a legally binding treaty to ban the production and trade of mercury-containing products, as well as processes where mercury is released. The problem with this treaty is that fails to ban mercury from commonplace sources like mascara, vaccines, and dental fillings. How could a treaty that took ten years to negotiate sweep so many things under the rug? As we saw at Codex, mega-corporations and special interests have incredible influence on international standards and treaties. When it comes to international standards, the question is often not “What’s best for citizens?” but “What’s best for Big Business?”