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LAST MAY, the Chlorine Institute announced its policy recommendation that the government should take title to the surplus mercury that will come from the chlor-alkali plants. In its statement, the institute notes that although mercury is a marketable commodity, "it may be prudent for the U.S. to consider a national policy to identify which worldwide outlets are acceptable versus the present free-market approach." Dungan notes that the announcement matches a decision the institute made in 1996 to cut mercury use in half by 2005. It has handsomely exceeded this goal already, he adds, achieving a 75% reduction in 2001. But the significance of letting the government pick mercury buyers rather than leaving it to the marketplace to decide is not lost on Dungan. "There has never been a permanent retirement program for other commodities," he says. "When lead was phased out of gas, for instance, you didn't have these problems. Even with nuclear waste, eventually, it will degrade. "But you can't destroy mercury. You might be able to make it more stable, but that technology is not developed and its emissions and cost appear to make it unlikely." On the other hand, he says, "you could store all the U.S.'s mercury in a building the size of a Wal-Mart." Income lost by giving the mercury to the government would be "small potatoes," Dungan says. "The market value of mercury is insignificant compared to the cost of converting to a different process or closing a mercury-cell facility. Take 3,000 tons and multiply it by a few dollars per lb for mercury's market value, and you see it is not really an issue. "It is something that should be discussed, but in my vision of this scheme it is far down the list of critical items that must be addressed," he adds. Freezing the U.S. surplus, however, affects only part of the problem, since mercury pollution is an international issue. Europe and the U.S. produce about half the world's chlorine, but Dungan notes that European companies rely much more strongly on mercury-cell production than the U.S., although that, too, has declined. |
| UPDATE | 07.02 |
| COMPANY | Chlorine Institute |
| CONTACT | Arthur E. Dungan, vice president for safety, health, and the environment |
| LITERATURE REF. | This data is not available for free |
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