HL Deb 07 October 2002 vol 639 cc16-7WA
Lord Lewis of Newnham

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is the amount of mercury pollution in the atmosphere arising from the burning of coal in power stations and the mercury pollution of air from other sources. [HL5782]

Lord Whitty

Estimated UK emissions of mercury to air fell by approximately 73 per cent, from 31.8 tonnes to 8.5 tonnes, between 1990 and 2000 (the latest date for which figures are available). Mercury emissons from coal burning in power production fell by approximately 82 per cent, from 7.1 tonnes to 1.3 tonnes, over the same period, and in 2000 approximately 16 per cent of all anthropogenic (ie man-made) mercury emissions to the atmosphere came from this source.

The following table shows estimated UK emissions of mercury to air from anthropogenic sources between 1990 and 2000. Data since 1970 on UK emissions of a wide range of air pollutants, including mercury, are published annually in the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI), which can be viewed at www.naei.org.uk.

Estimated UK Emissions of Mercury to Air 1990–2000
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 per cent in 2000
Production Processes (tonnes) Iron & Steel 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.5 6 per cent
Process in Industry 8.1 8.9 7.4 3.3 3.6 4.2 2.4 1.1 1.3 1.5 1.4 17 per cent
Waste Treatment & Disposal (tonnes) LandFill 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 5 per cent
Cremation 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 16 per cent
Incineration 5.0 5.0 4.8 1.7 1.6 1.5 1.1 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 5 per cent
Total (tonnes) 31.8 32.6 30.5 20.1 19.6 19.2 14.6 12.2 11.1 8.9 8.5 100 per cent

Source:

National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory.