This issue of Environmental Practice (June 2004) focuses on mercury (Hg) pollution and remedial procedures. Six of the seven full-length articles in this special issue were presented at the 6th International Conference on Mercury as a Global Pollutant, which was held in Minamata, Japan, from October 15 to 19, 2001. These articles describe mercury emissions from artisanal gold mines in two important countries (China and Brazil), show a critical review of the use of bioaccumulation factors in stream monitoring, and demonstrate how different procedures can be applied to remove mercury from contaminated soils/sediments.