Presentations May 23 – 25, 2005 Portland, Maine

For related information visit: http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/mercury/conferences

Global Mercury Supply and Demand

David Lennett

Portland, Maine

May 24, 2005

Principal Sources of Mercury Supply

• Primary mercury mines

• Byproduct recovery from other mining

• Decommissioned chlor-alkali plants

• Recovered mercury from wastes and products

• Government stockpiles (only U.S. stockpile remains)

Primary (mined) mercury production, 1999-2003(metric tons)

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

Algeria 240 216 320 307 234

China est.200 est.200 est.200 435 610

Spain 433 237 523 727 745

Kyrgyzstan 629 590 574 542 397

Russian Federation

est.50 est.50 est.50 est.50 est.50

Other est.50-100

est.50-100

est.50-100

est.50-100

est.50-100

Totals 1600+ 1300+ 1700+ 2000+ 2000+

Primary & by-product mercury production, 2003(metric tons)

Primary mercuryfrom mines & ores

By-productmercury

Algeria 234 0

China 610 0

Spain 745 0

Kyrgyzstan 397 0

Russian Federation est. 50 est. 100+

Peru 0 est. 80

Finland 0 est. 70

Chile 0 est. 20

Australia 0 est. 30

United States0

est. 100-200

Other (Mexico, Canada, etc.)

est. 50-100 est. 100

Totals 2000+ 500+

Global mercury supply (Maxson 2004)

Total global mercury supply

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

Me

rcu

ry

(to

nn

es)

Mercury from US & USSR strategicstockpilesHg recovered from decommissionedmercury cell chlor-alkali facilitiesRecycled mercury

Mining & by-product mercury

Maxson: Mercury flows in Europe and the world, 2004

Inventory in Chemical Industry (Chlor-Alkali Facilities)

• 12,000 tonnes at EU facilities

• 2,800 tonnes at US facilities

• 24,000-30,000 tonnes estimated worldwide

Inventory of Recoverable Mercury in Wastes and Products

• Over 3,000 tonnes in US, including 570 tonnes in switches/relays, 209 tonnes in thermostats, and 1,090 tonnes in dental amalgam

• Global inventory estimated at 20,000-30,000 tonnes

The U.S. Govt. Stockpile

• 4,436 MT stored at four locations

• Consolidated storage at one location selected in April 2004 Record of Decision, despite revenue loss of up to $25 million and 40 year cost estimate of $29 million

• Is this the beginning of global mercury stewardship in the face of looming excess supplies?

Characteristics of Mercury Market

• Global in nature

• Small in economic terms (less than $25 million)

• Private primary mines closed

• Secondary supplies expected to rise

• Decreasing demand will create global surplus

Mercury market price (constant $US of 2000 per/kg Hg)vs. global mercury production (tonnes Hg)

0.00

10.00

20.00

30.00

40.00

50.00

60.00

70.00

80.00

90.00

100.00

$U

S/k

g H

g

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

Hg

(to

nn

es)

Ave. US, Roskills & UK market price (constant $/kg for 2000) Global Hg supply/ demandMaxson: Mercury flows in Europe and the world, 2004

2003 global mercury consumption (tonnes)

Small-scale gold mining

(900)

Chlor-alkali (800)Batteries (1000)

Dental amalgam (270)

Measuring and control (160)

Lighting (100)

Electrical control &

switching (150)

Hg catalyst for VCM, etc. (50)

Other uses (150)

Disproportionate Global Mercury Demand

• EU and US are net exporters of mercury• 630 of estimated 797 tonnes consumed by chlor-

alkali plants outside of Western Europe and United States comprising about half of mercury cell global production capacity

• Over 90% of Hg consumed in batteries produced outside of Western Europe and US in 2000

• Small scale mining occurs in developing world

2003 regional mercury demand (tonnes)

Region Mercury consumption (metric tonnes)2000 rev. 2003 est.

EU-15 (302) 302 302North America (308) 317 308Other OECD (100) 100 100Central & Eastern Europe/CIS (520) 560 520Arab States (100) 110 100East Asia & Pacific (1400) 1400 1400Latin America & Caribbean (375) 450 375South Asia (375) 420 375Sub-Saharan Africa (100) 100 100TOTAL 3759 3580

P. Maxson, 2004 - in publication

Mercuric Oxide Battery Trade Data

• In 2000, over 470 million units enters China from Free Trade Zones, Hong Kong, and other Asian nations (includes re-exports of China batteries)

• Most presumably used in products for export, since only 3.3 million exported as batteries

• Total quantity entering China in 2002 over 40.5 million units. China exports in 2002 similar to 2000

• 2004 Hong Kong Customs data indicates 20,000,000 units passed through Hong Kong from Mainland China, an increase over previous years

Use is Very Widespread in Africa

• 25% of women in Mali

• 27% of women in Senegal

• 35% of women in South Africa

• 77% of women in Lagos, Nigeria

Health Impact of Mercury Salts

• Skin

• Kidneys

• Nervous system?

• Developing nervous system??

Hyperpigmentation

EU Mercury Strategy

• Issued in January 2005 – Blueprint for Action• Mercury Export Ban by 2011 and advocate for

global phase-out of primary mercury production• Pursue storage of chlor-alkali mercury from

decommissioning plants• Restrict sales of mercury measuring devices to

accompany existing restrictions on electronic products

• Study dental amalgam and few remaining product uses

2005 UNEP Governing Council Resolution

• Reiterates call for national and international action to reduce releases

• Requests report on global mercury production, demand, and trade, to consider options for future action at next GC meeting in 2007

• Requests governments, private sector, and international organizations to “take action” to reduce the exposure risks associated with use of mercury in products and processes, including bans or restrictions of uses “when warranted”, and to “consider” curbing primary mercury production and introduction into commerce of excess mercury supplies

PresentationsMay 23 – 25, 2005Portland, Maine

Demonstration of the Mercury-added Products Database

Terri GoldbergInterstate Mercury Education &

Reduction Clearinghouse

What is Product Notification?

CT, ME, NH, RI, & VT (new) require manufacturers or distributors of all mercury-added products sold in their states to provide information on the mercury content of products & the total mercury used in all of the products sold in the US in a single year

First enacted in NH in 2000; 2001 by ME, and RI; 2002 by CT; 2005 by VT

What is a Mercury-added Product?

Formulated or fabricated product that contains mercury, a mercury compound, or a component containing mercury, when the mercury is intentionally added to the product (or component) for any reason

Fabricated & Formulated Products

Fabricated product – a combination of individual components, one or more of which has mercury added, that combine to make a single unit

Formulated product – a chemical product, including but not limited to laboratory chemicals, cleaning products, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and coating materials that are sold as a consistent mixture of chemicals

What is the Purpose of Notification?

Product Notification is intended to inform consumers, recyclers, policy makers, & others:

products that contain intentionally-added mercury

the amount of mercury in a specific product

the total amount of mercury in the specific products that were sold in the US in a given year

Requirements If you manufacture, sell, distribute, or import a

mercury-added product & sell in CT, ME, NH, RI, & VT must file a Mercury-added Product Notification Form through Interstate Mercury Education & Reduction Clearinghouse (IMERC) or with each state

Forms submitted to IMERC are reviewed by a multi-state committee that is appointed by the Commissioners of the states' environmental agencies

Submission & approval of the Forms through IMERC enables manufacturers & distributors to comply with the states’ requirements

Requirements (cont.)

Following approval of the submission, the information from the Form is entered into the Mercury-added Products Database & sent out to the reporting organization for review

Information is posted on the IMERC webpage after this review

Mercury-added Product Notification Forms that have not been approved are not included in the database

All hard copy Forms that are submitted to IMERC are publicly available – no CBI for IMERC

Frequency of Reporting

2001 – Forms due to NH DES; 2002 IMERC got involved

Updated Forms with new totals due at least every 3 years – 2001, 2004, 2007, 2010 …

Updated Forms also due when products change: ↑ mercury; ↓ mercury; 0 mercury; + mercury

Current Status

Over 400 companies have filed Notifications either directly or through a trade association

Over 1800 products in the Mercury-added Products Database

Currently summarizing 2001 data in fact sheets

Mercury Content of Products

Encourages reporting by product categories, where possible

Allows reporting in exact amounts or in ranges:

-- Ranges for fabricated products: >0-5 mg; >5-10 mg; >10-50 mg; >50-100 mg; >100-1,000 mg; >1000 mg

-- Ranges for formulated products: >0-10 ppm; >10-50 ppm; >50-250 ppm; >250 ppm

Issues

Subtle differences among state laws– e.g., some allow reporting for average amount of mercury; others do not

Definition of product – focus on the larger product that contains the mercury component or just the component (e.g., recreational vehicles, electronics, cars)

Double counting

Issues (cont.)

Creating a list of companies that make mercury-added products

Compliance – List of over 140 companies strongly suspect of being out of compliance; list of over 1500 companies concerned about compliance; states sending letters

Not certain of all products – constantly learn about new products

Issues (cont.)

• Still learning – new type of requirement for an environmental agency – not facility based; not emissions based

• Appropriate level of detail – Model numbers? Vague product descriptions?

• Still resolving issues w/certain products – lamps, cars, lab & other chemicals

What is IMERC?

In 2001 the Northeast Waste Management Officials' Association (NEWMOA) IMERC to provide ongoing technical & programmatic assistance to states that have enacted mercury education & reduction laws

Provides a single point of contact for industry & the public for information on mercury-added products & member states' mercury education & reduction programs

IMERC’s Activities

IMERC's Activities -- Facilitates deliberations that provide advice

& assistance to the states for decisions Collects & manages Notification data Facilitates interstate collaboration on public

education & outreach Makes information on available online &

through IMERC Alert, phone, & email Responds to requests for information on

mercury-added products & the states’ laws & requirements

IMERC’s Activities

Provides technical assistance & facilitates reviews to the member states concerning: – manufacturers' applications for exemptions to the phase-out of mercury-added products – manufacturers' applications for alternative labeling of mercury-added products

– manufacturers' plans for collection & proper waste management of mercury-containing materials

IMERC’s Structure

IMERC's membership includes NEWMOA & non-NEWMOA member states -- CT, IL, ME, MA, NH, NJ, NY, RI, VT, & WA

All members pay an annual fee All IMERC members have a vote on the

recommendations made by the Clearinghouse to the states

All state representatives to IMERC are appointed by the responsible State Agency Commissioner/Director

More information

Go to:

ww.newmoa.org/prevention/mercury/imerc

Contact: Terri Goldberg

(617) 367-8558 x302

tgoldberg@newmoa.org

PresentationsMay 23 – 25, 2005Portland, Maine

Using the Mercury-added Products Data

Enid J. MitnikMaine Department of

Environmental ProtectionMay 24, 2005

Data Uses Basis for development of statutes and

regulation for mercury-added products.Target products for labeling and recycling and/or phase out

Consumer EducationIMERC fact sheets presenting information on products (mercury devices, thermostats, etc.)

Looking at TrendsAre certain types of mercury-added component uses increasing or decreasing?

Product Information

Mercury-added product manufacturers are usually grouped in one of two types:

Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) Components and Dental Amalgam Manufacturers

Larger Product Manufacturers The filing may refer the data to the OEM or

report it, potentially duplicating data.

Mercury-added ProductsMost mercury-added products data has been summarized based on OEM’s component information:

Switches and Relays Thermostats (type of switch) Measuring devices (thermometers, barometers,

flow meters, sphygmomanometers, etc.) Lamps Batteries Dental Amalgam Laboratory and chemical reagents Other

Who Notified

To date, IMERC has received OEM notifications from: switches and relays - 25 reporting companies (adequate) thermostats - 11 reporting companies (adequate) measuring devices - 19 reporting companies (adequate) dental amalgam - 5 reporting companies (adequate)

Who Notified cont.

lamps - 39 reporting companies (incomplete)

batteries – 10 reporting companies (incomplete)

laboratory & chemical reagents - 18 reporting companies (incomplete)

other - 17 reporting companies

IMERC Mercury-added Products Notifications

The summary data presented today will be based on OEMs only to avoid the issue of double counting.

In the future, IMERC hopes to look at product specific trends after we review the data from two total reporting years (2001 and 2004).

2001 OEM Component Data

IMERC Mercury in Products in Tons

Laboratory & Chemical Uses

(1.01)

Batteries (2.6)Other (3.5)

Measuring devices (4.9)

Dental Amalgam

(30.7)

Lamps (18.4)

Switches and Relays (55.1)

Thermostats (14.3)

Data Limitations Product brand names may not be the same as

the manufacturer name.For example: Maytag Corporation has filed for their products (which could have the brand name of Maytag, Amana, Jenn-Air or Jade).

Model specific information may not be included in the product description for every product.

Data Limitations cont. Because reporting is allowed by

product categories, the product detail may not identify the specific product for use in collection and recycling.*

* Maine has addressed this by identifying mercury-added products at end of life through labeling requirements.

The Future

IMERC’s data collection efforts are a work in progress. As states have joined IMERC the way we required reporting changed based on the laws for each notification state. We will need to adjust as more states join in the future and requirements change.

Fact sheets and any report summaries can be found at:http://www.newmoa.org/Newmoa/htdocs/prevention/mercury/imerc.cfm

The Future cont.

IMERC will need more resources to:• Refine the database and develop

standard reporting and data output;• Analyze the data and create more

fact sheets. • More resources will be needed if

product- specific detail and electronic filing is desired.

For more information…. www.newmoa.org/Newmoa/htdocs/

prevention/mercury/imerc.cfm Enid Mitnik, Maine DEP

17 State House StationAugusta, ME 04333207-287-8556enid.mitnik@maine.gov