Consider the following statements regarding mercury pollution:
- 1.Gold mining activity is a source of mercury pollution in the world.
- 2.Coal-based thermal power plants cause mercury pollution.
- 3.There is no known safe level of exposure to mercury.
How many of the above statements are correct?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (b) Only two
Statements 1 and 2 are correct; statement 3 is not. Gold mining and coal-fired power stations are both major sources of mercury releases, but international health bodies have set tolerable intake levels for mercury, so it is wrong to say that no safe level is known.
- ✓ 1. WHO lists mining for mercury, gold and other metals among the main human causes of mercury release, and warns that mercury use in artisanal and small-scale gold mining is particularly hazardous.
- ✓ 2. WHO names coal-fired power stations among the main sources of mercury releases. Coal contains mercury, which escapes when it is burned.
- ✗ 3. The FAO/WHO expert committee JECFA set a tolerable intake of 1.6 micrograms per kg of body weight per week for methylmercury. Exposure is harmful at high levels, but a tolerable level has been defined.
Remember · Mercury comes from coal burning and gold mining, among other sources. WHO and FAO experts have set a tolerable weekly intake for methylmercury, so a safe level is defined.
Sources
- Mercury and health (World Health Organization fact sheet) ↗ “Human activity is the main cause of mercury releases, particularly coal-fired power stations, residential coal burning for heating and cooking, industrial processes, waste incinerators and as a result of mining for mercury, gold and other metals.”
- Exposure to Mercury: A Major Public Health Concern (World Health Organization, 2007) ↗ “In 2004 the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) established a tolerable intake of 1.6 µg/kg bodyweight per week for methylmercury in order to protect the developing fetus from neurotoxic effects.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2023, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·