The objective of this project is to establish a regional laboratory network for mercury contamination analyses to serve the Caribbean Region. Under the leadership of the government of Antigua and Barbuda, an integrated network of laboratories will be established to assist in the assessment of mercury in the environment and the food that people depend on, and to guide policies to address mercury risks.

To this end, workshops will be conducted to consolidate expertise within the Region and provide a forum for communication, networking, and collaboration of both laboratory directors and managers, relevant field personnel who may be collecting samples, and policymakers for Ministries related to environmental monitoring, international trade, commerce, and human health.

Efforts to measure mercury levels in bird species found in the country’s Important Bird Areas (an official designation) began in late April 2022. The team, led by Dr. David Evers (director and chief scientist of Biodiversity Research Institute) in partnership with Dr. Linroy Christian (director of Analytical Services in Antigua and Barbuda), included members of the Forestry Division and the Environmental Awareness Group. Biologists from both the government and nonprofit groups were trained on procedures to safely catch, band, measure, and sample birds. The blood and feather samples collected do not harm the birds. Samples will be used to generate mercury concentrations.

These training efforts are intended to build capacity to improve bird capture, banding, sampling, and monitoring skills, and to establish a long-term monitoring program for mercury, and other toxic substances, in birds (and potentially bats) that can be used to assess ecological and human health.

View slide show of work in Antigua and Barbuda below:

The Department of Analytical Services of the Ministry of Agriculture within Antigua and Barbuda is the lead administrator of this project and will serve as the primary toxicology laboratory. All project-related workshops will be held in Antigua and Barbuda and will be coordinated by the Ministry of Agriculture.
St. Kitts and Nevis, under the Bureau of Standards Multipurpose laboratory, will serve as a secondary laboratory for the region to help with future inter-lab calibration needs and to build stronger regional capacity.

BRI will assist with initial laboratory training, calibration and standards, sampling design, and workshop needs. Standardized biotic sampling across regional labs will help meet national and regional interests for mercury monitoring. This regional mercury monitoring project will also help many Caribbean countries meet the obligations of the Minamata Convention.

View slide show of work in Antigua and Barbuda below:

CRMMN Workshop Resources

Below, find meeting agendas as well as presentations from the Facilitating Capacity-Building for Managing Mercury in the Caribbean, Virtual Regional Inception Workshop that was hosted on July 27, 2021.

Resources and Publications

• Caribbean Mercury Monitoring Network Report
• Mercury in the Global Environment
  • Mercury in the Global Environment: Marine Mammals
  • Mercury in the Global Environment: Tuna
• Local, Regional, and Global Biomonitoring: Understanding Mercury Exposure through Monitoring At-risk Species
• Global Mercury Monitoring in Biota (8-page summary)
  • Technical Information Report on Mercury Monitoring in Biota
• Phasing Out/Phasing Down Mercury-added Products: What to Know about Consumer and Commercial Products Outlined in the Minamata Convention