By Hana Namrouqa

AMMAN - The Royal Department for the Preservation of Nature (Rangers) has seized six tonnes of mercury, a highly poisonous substance, from an abandoned factory in Zarqa Governorate, officials said Wednesday.

During a regular inspection on Tuesday, the Rangers found 147 bottles of mercury in the yard of a chemical factory that once produced chlorine and liquid soda, and has been closed down for two decades, Rangers Director Brigadier General Nabil Arabiyat said in a press statement.

“The department formed a committee to investigate the incident and the intended usage of the chemical, particularly as it was found in a closed factory and kept in a manner violating environmental and public health and safety regulations,” Arabiyat added.

Sources at the department did not confirm whether the large amount of mercury had been kept in the yard of the abandoned factory since 1989, but said the committee, which comprises representatives from the ministries of interior and environment as well as the Rangers, will announce its findings soon.

Arabiyat said the mercury will be transferred to the Swaqa landfill, which is designated for the disposal of hazardous and chemical waste. He noted that the mercury will be safely contained there until the investigation is complete, to ensure that the substance does not pollute water, especially underground resources.

Mercury and its compounds are highly toxic to humans, ecosystems and wildlife. Exposure to high concentrations can be fatal to humans, while low concentrations can cause adverse effects on the development of the neurological system.

Experts said recently that half a gramme of mercury is sufficient to spoil five million gallons of water or 200 Olympic-sized pools.

Earlier this month, the Jordan Environment Society (JES) urged the government to stop importing and using mercury, warning against its adverse effects on the environment and public health.

Environmentalists said that about half of the world’s mercury is located in the Mediterranean region, and warned that countries in the area are facing a problem of increased mercury emissions endangering human health and the environment.

Environment ministers from 140 countries including Jordan, who gathered in Nairobi, Kenya, for the 25th United Nations Environment Programme Council meeting in February this year, agreed to begin negotiating a treaty to contain global mercury pollution.

The new treaty for the control of global mercury emissions will include initiatives to reduce mercury supply, its use in products and processes and overall atmospheric mercury emissions.

The treaty negotiations will start this year and be completed in 2013.