Unlike some harmful materials that can be metabolized by the body, mercury continues to accumulate, causing a huge impact on human health and the ecosystem, experts say.

Because of its nature as a pollutant, the United Nations Environmental Program reached an agreement through tough negotiations on the text of an international mercury convention during its latest session held in Geneva in January.

In 2009, the United Nations Environment Program's 25th council moved to formally begin a global effort in mercury pollution control, stipulating that the UNEP would host five meetings with lots of governments between 2010 and 2013 to formulate a global legal convention on a range of efforts to control the toxic metal.