Welcome to Mercury:Learn, the Interactive training modules created by UNEP and UNITAR for developing inventories on mercury emissions and releases!
In order to support the ratification and early implementation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury and provide information to interested stakeholders, UNEP and UNITAR are offering these training modules. The modules have been developed based on the UNEP toolkit for identification and quantification of Mercury releases.
The objective of this training is to assist you in developing a comprehensive mercury release and emissions inventory using the standardized methodology and database provided by the UNEP Toolkit. The methodology assists you in identifying the major sources of mercury emissions and releases, including private and industrial activities on your territory. The Toolkit provides you with the option of developing a refined and customized mercury inventory that better reflects your national or local conditions if detailed national information is available. Mercury inventories are essential in evaluating the associated risks from mercury releases and to take appropriate action.
At the end of this training you will have a better understanding of your national sources of mercury emissions and releases and estimates of the emissions and releases to all media. The training modules are targeted to individuals that are interested in developing national inventories of mercury emissions and releases.
Features of Mercury:Learn
- Online training modules on how to develop inventories
- Online forums and Mercury Clinics for elaborated inventory training and discussions.
- Document posting
- Repository of documents and other resources
- Links to other related websites
We look forward to your active participation and we hope to have your feedback during this training. Your constructive comments will enable us to improve the training modules to the needs of national experts and thus make them as useful and focused as possible.
We hope you enjoy the “Mercury:Learn” online training modules!

- The characteristics of mercury and mercury releases
- The main elements of mercury releases inventories
- Main anthropogenic sources of mercury releases to the environment
- The use of calculation spreadsheets and emission factors to quantify mercury releases

- Las características del mercurio y de sus liberaciones.
- Los principales elementos de los inventarios de liberaciones de mercurio
- Las principales fuentes antropogénicas de liberaciones de mercurio al medio ambiente
- El uso de hojas de cálculo y factores de emisión para cuantificar las liberaciones de mercurio
Puede accederse a los módulos en línea o, si no se dispone de una buena conexión a internet, descargando las transcripciones de cada módulo.

Follow these Level 2 modules if:
- You wish to refine a Level 1 mercury releases inventory
- You wish to do a more detailed mercury release inventory or using more local data
Main anthropogenic sources of mercury releases to the environment
- You wish to have more details about each anthropogenic source of releases
- You are part of an institution in charge of coordinating regional or global actions towards reduction of mercury releases
These modules are accessed online or you can download transcripts of all modules in case you have an un-steady Internet connection.
Puede accederse a los módulos en línea o, si no dispone de una buena conexión a internet, descargando las transcripciones de cada módulo.