Mercury is commonly known as "mercury". Mercury and its compounds are toxic. Scientists have found that mercury has obvious neurotoxicity and has adverse effects on endocrine system and immune system. Minamata disease occurred in Japan in 1950s, which shocked the world and was caused by mercury pollution.
More than 40 years ago, in Minamata, a seaside town in southern Kyushu, Japan, a strange disease appeared among local residents. The patient began to lisp, gait instability, quadriplegia, and finally the whole body spasms, mental disorders, and died in painful torture. Later, more and more people were infected with the disease, and even cats and seabirds showed the same symptoms. Later, medical workers found toxic methylmercury from the dead and the bodies of marine fish, which proved that people were poisoned by eating contaminated fish. After investigation, it turned out that the local Japanese nitrogen fertilizer industry company discharged mercury-containing wastewater into Minamata Bay all the year round, which polluted the seawater with mercury, and the seafood caught locally contained high concentration of methylmercury.
In order to restore the ecological environment of Minamata Bay, the Japanese government spent 14 years and invested 48.5 billion yen to excavate 4 meters of mercury-containing sediments in Minamata Bay and completely remove them. At the same time, an isolation net was set at the entrance of Minamata Bay to catch all the polluted fish in the bay for landfill. Masayoshi Yoshii, the mayor of Minamata, Japan, who witnessed the outbreak of Minamata disease, said with emotion: "After nearly half a century of unremitting efforts, we finally got out of the shadow of Minamata disease and are building a new Minamata city. I hope that the whole world will learn from the lessons of Minamata disease in Japan, get rid of ignorant production methods and advocate civilized production methods. "
It is understood that at present, in developed countries, mercury-containing batteries have been eliminated, and dry batteries have achieved mercury-free or low mercury. Ming Xiu Kobayashi, consultant of the China-Japan Friendship Environmental Protection Center and a Japanese expert, said that dry batteries produced and used in Japan are mercury-free. Because there is no mercury, the harm of waste batteries to the environment is greatly reduced, and the cost of landfill treatment is also reduced.
Since June 65438+1 October1this year, China has also started to promote low-mercury and mercury-free dry batteries. At the dawn of the new century, green batteries have finally entered the lives of China people. However, according to the reporter, most domestic consumers do not know much about the pollution of waste batteries. People often have great randomness when buying batteries, and will not put whether they meet environmental protection standards in the first place. For battery manufacturers, it is necessary to improve the process equipment and raw material formula to produce environmentally friendly batteries, which will undoubtedly increase capital investment and production costs, and enterprises are not willing to do so. At present, some enterprises are indifferent to the "mercury restriction regulations" of batteries.
How to advocate the concept of green consumption that is beneficial to environmental protection? How to urge enterprises to produce green products that are beneficial to environmental protection? The reporter interviewed Professor Ye from Peking University Environmental Science Center. He said that the choice of consumer goods determines people's consumption pattern, and the consumption pattern of the masses is a symbol of the degree of social civilization. Through publicity and education, the public is encouraged to choose new consumption patterns that conform to the concept of sustainable development and buy green products that are conducive to environmental protection. Consumers' choices will prompt producers to improve their products. In addition, manufacturers should be actively encouraged to produce environmentally friendly products. What kind of products enterprises use to stimulate consumption is related to the quality of entrepreneurs and the image of enterprises. But these two points alone are far from enough, because from the consumer psychology of the public, what is generally pursued is cheap and good quality, and environmental protection is not a very important factor; From the perspective of enterprise management, making money is the first priority, and environmental protection is not the primary consideration. Therefore, the government must stand up and use economic, legal and administrative means to make the production mode of enterprises and the consumption mode of the public meet the requirements of environmental protection. Among the three social behaviors of human beings, namely, government behavior, market behavior (or enterprise behavior) and public behavior, government behavior is in a dominant position.