The Status of Mercury in Canada, Report #2
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Environment Canada Transboundary Air Issues Branch The Status of Mercury in Canada Report #2 A Background Report to the Commission for Environmental Cooperation North American Task Force on Mercury May 2000 ii This report is the second Status Report on Mercury in Canada and is presented as Canada’s input into the Phase II North American Regional Action Plan on Mercury. The status reports for Canada, Mexico, and the United States are an integral part of the three Parties’ commitment to the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation, and in particular to the Mercury Action Plans formulated for the Sound Management of Chemicals Working Group, under the Commission for Environmental Cooperation. The status reports for the Phase I Mercury Action Plan provide a basis for comparison and serve as indicators of progress from 1997 to 1999. The principal editors for this revision are: L. Trip, Environment Canada, 351 St. Joseph Blvd. Hull, QB, K0A 1H3 P. Chevalier, Natural Resources Canada, 580 Booth St., Ottawa, ON, K1A 0E4 J. Smith, Environment Canada, 4905 Dufferin St, Downsview, ON, M3H 5T4 With grateful acknowledgement to the many contributors and reviewers of this document and the Phase I Status Report. iii Table of Contents 1. STATUS AND TRENDS ............................................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 EMISSION INVENTORIES........................................................................................................................................1 1.1.1 Anthropogenic (Human Activity) Sources....................................................................................... 1 1.1.2 Natural Sources .................................................................................................................................... 7 1.2 AMBIENT MONITORING.......................................................................................................................................9 1.2.1 General Ambient Monitoring ............................................................................................................. 9 1.2.2 Specific Ambient Monitoring............................................................................................................11 1.3.1 Domestic Consumption......................................................................................................................17 1.3.2 Use Patterns.........................................................................................................................................19 1.3.3 Production Patterns...........................................................................................................................29 2. RISK MANAGEMENT POLLUTION PREVENTION.........................................................................................29 2.1 NATIONAL POLICIES...........................................................................................................................................30 2.1.1 Federal Government Policy..............................................................................................................30 2.1.2 Canadian Domestic Initiatives.........................................................................................................31 2.2 INTERNATIONAL PROTOCOLS...........................................................................................................................40 2.2.1 International Initiatives ....................................................................................................................40 2.2.2 Continental Initiatives.......................................................................................................................42 2.3 NATIONAL LEGISLATION, REGULATIONS, GUIDELINES...............................................................................44 2.3.1 Air ..........................................................................................................................................................44 2.3.2 Water .....................................................................................................................................................45 2.3.3 Soil.........................................................................................................................................................46 2.3.4 General .................................................................................................................................................47 2.4 PROVINCIAL LEGISLATION, REGULATIONS, GUIDELINES.............................................................................48 2.5 VOLUNTARY PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVES.......................................................................................................53 2.5.1 Sector Specific.....................................................................................................................................53 2.5.2 Product-specific Initiatives...............................................................................................................55 3. REMEDIATION ACTIVITIES .................................................................................................................................56 3.1 RETIREMENT MANAGEMENT OF STOCKS......................................................................................................56 3.2 CONTAMINATED SITES......................................................................................................................................57 3.2.1 Major Sites of Mercury Contamination..........................................................................................57 3.2.2 National Contaminated Sites Remediation Program (NCSRP) ................................................57 3.2.3 Management of Environment Canada’s Contaminated Sites ....................................................58 3.3 TECHNOLOGIES DEVELOPMENT .......................................................................................................................58 4. RESEARCH AND POLICY DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES .............................................................................59 5. FUTURE PROGRAM DIRECTIONS .....................................................................................................................65 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................................................68 iv List of Tables TABLE 1: FOUNDRY EMISSIONS, 1997.................................................................................................................. 6 TABLE 2: NATURAL OCCURRENCE OF MERCURY............................................................................................ 7 TABLE 3: ESTIMATES OF MERCURY DEPOSITION TO DIFFERENT REGIONS OF CANADA AND MERCURY DEPOSITION TO THE OCEANS BASED ON SPARSE LAND MEASUREMENTS.......11 TABLE 4: COMPARISON BETWEEN MERCURY SWITCH THERMOSTAT AND ALTERNATIVES .....21 TABLE 5: TYPES OF MERCURY-CONTAINING LAMPS...................................................................................27 TABLE 6: MERCURY CONTENT IN FLUORESCENT LAMPS ..........................................................................27 TABLE 7: PROPOSALS FOR ACTION ..................................................................................................................34 TABLE 8: CRITERIA, MAXIMUM OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE LIMITS TO MERCURY.......................44 TABLE 9: WATER QUALITY GUIDELINES FOR MERCURY............................................................................45 TABLE 10: CRITERIA FOR MERCURY IN SOIL..................................................................................................46 TABLE 11: CRITERIA FOR MERCURY IN COMPOST MATERIAL................................................................46 TABLE 12: NUMERICAL LIMITS FOR MERCURY SOIL CONTAMINANTS................................................47 TABLE 13: PROVINCIAL REGULATIONS/GUIDELINES FOR HG AS PROMULGATED ..........................48 TABLE 14: EMISSIONS TO WATER FROM CCPA MEMBER OPERATIONS .............................................54 v List of Figures FIGURE 1: CANADIAN ATMOSPHERIC MERCURY EMISSIONS BY INDUSTRIAL SECTOR IN 1990, 1995, 1998 ............................................................................................................................................................. 2 FIGURE 2: MERCURY RELEASES BY PROVINCE AND TERRITORY.............................................................. 3 FIGURE 3: 1995 WASTE INCINERATOR EMISSIONS BY SECTOR ................................................................ 4 FIGURE 4: WASTE INCINERATOR EMISSIONS IN 1990 AND 1995 ............................................................... 5 FIGURE 5 MEAN MERCURY LEVELS IN LOON BLOOD...................................................................................15 FIGURE 6: MERCURY IN EASTERN AND WESTERN ARCTIC BELUGA, 1993–1994................................16 FIGURE 7: MERCURY TRADE IN CANADA: IMPORTS AND EXPORTS ......................................................18 FIGURE 8: TRADE IN MERCURIC OXIDE PRIMARY CELLS AND BATTERIES .........................................18 FIGURE 9: IMPORTS OF MERCURY OXIDES IN CANADA..............................................................................19 FIGURE 10: MERCURY USE IN CANADIAN PRODUCTS, 1994.......................................................................20