Mercury management

CPCB (2008) Guidelines for environmentally sound mercury management in fluorescent lamp sector. Central Pollution Control Board, Delhi... 

Sulfur Polymer Cement. SPC has been proven effective in reducing leach rates of reactive heavy metals to the extent that some wastes can be managed solely as low level waste (LLW). When SPC is combined with mercury and lead oxides (both toxic metals), it interacts chemically to form mercury sulfide, HgS, and lead sulfide, PbS, both of which are insoluble in water. A dried sulfur residue from petroleum refining that contained 600-ppm vanadium (a carcinogen) was chemically modified using dicyclopentadiene and oligomer of cyclopentadiene and used to make SC (58). This material was examined by the California Department of Health Services (Cal EPA) and the leachable level of vanadium had been reduced to 8.3 ppm, well below the soluble threshold limit concentration of 24 ppm (59). 

In many ways, both Canada and the United States continue to be involved in a unique experiment of co-operative management of serious environmental issues which plague a shared international resource. Despite the institutional complexity and the history of abuse that man s activities have wrought on the Great Lakes, the experiment to restore and protect them has had several successes typhoid and cholera were eradicated eutrophication problems are now largely under control and where adequate control programs for toxic chemicals have been implemented and enforced (e.g., mercury, DDT, PCBs), there have been associated declines in concentrations in the lakes. These successes have been due in no small way to the spirit of co-operation that has continued to exist between Canada and the United States and the unique institutional arrangements entered into by the two countries. 

Anderson DW, Cahill TMJ, Suchanek TH, Elbert RA. 1997. Relationships between mercury and yearly trends in osprey production and reproductive status at Clear Lake. In First Annual Clear Lake Science and Management Symposium, September 13, 1997, Proceedings, p. 66-70. 

Cumbie PM. 1975a. Mercury in hair of bobcats and raccoons. J Wild Manage 39 419 25. 

Fimreite N, Karstad L. 1971. Effects of dietary methyl mercury on red-tailed hawks. J Wildl Manage 35 292-300. 

Scheuhammer AM. 1990. Accumulation and toxicity of mercury, cadmium and lead in vertebrates. In Workshop to Design Baseline and Monitoring Studies for the OCS Mining Program, Norton Sound, Alaska — Workshop Proceedings, US Dept, of the Interior Minerals Management Service, OCS Study, mms90-059. 

Wood PB, White JH, Steffer A, Wood JM, Facemire CF, Percival HF. 1996. Mercury concentrations in tissues of Florida bald eagles. J Wildl Manage 60 178-185. 

Henry, J.R., An Overview of the Phytoremediation of Lead and Mercury, National Network of Environmental Management Studies (NNEMS), U.S. EPA, Technology Innovation Office, Washington, 2000. 

Management and Disposal of Mercury-Containing Equipment Including Lamps... 

Because many batteries contain toxic constituents such as mercury and cadmium, they pose a potential threat to human health and the environment when improperly disposed. Although batteries generally make up only a tiny portion of MSW, <1%, they account for a disproportionate amount of the toxic heavy metals in MSW. For example, the U.S. EPA has reported that, as of 1995, nickel-cadmium batteries accounted for 75% of the cadmium found in MSW. When MSW is incinerated or disposed of in landfills, under certain improper management scenarios, these toxics can be released into the environment. 

In the United States, Federal and State initiatives are assisting the businesses and consumers in managing, reusing, recycling, and disposal of household batteries. These include the Universal Waste Rule and the Mercury-Containing and Rechargeable Battery Management Act. 

U.S. EPA. Implementation of the Mercury-Containing and Rechargeable Battery Management Act of 1996, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA530-K-97-009, 1997. 

The objective of this research was therefore to develop a master plan for the safe management of end-of-life mercury containing lamps for the entire country. It encompasses detailed analysis of the complete system of logistics (collection, transportation, and safe disposal of end-of-life CFLs/FTLs), financing models, institutional mechanisms, policy framework, and issue of public awareness. 

Environmental and health considerations and other perceived risks have led many countries to adopt a policy for safe management of mercury in fluorescent lamps. For example, USA, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong... 

Another interesting development in the USA is the recent passage of a law by the state of Maine for management of mercury in end-of-life CFLs [6], The law is intended to provide consumers with convenient recycling opportunities, with the costs shared by the lamp manufacturers and others (Box 1). 

Therefore, after due consultation with the experts in the field and review of available C R systems, it is proposed to tackle the end-of-life FLs in two ways (1) deploy safe, fixed, and mobile lamp crushing systems to capture the mercury and reduce the waste volumes before transportation and (2) feed the crushed material and other components into a suitable recycling and recovery system to assure safe management. The review of available technologies has brought out two types of technologies that could be used in the proposed C R system ... 

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