On-site detection of mercury

The Stronger Training and Increased Knowledge for better enforcement waste and mercury (STRiKE) project aims to enhance operational activities & capacities of authorities involved in addressing illegal trade & management of problematic waste streams (e.g., e-waste, end-of-life vehicles, batteries & mercury bearing wastes), as well as illegal production & trade of mercury-added products (MAPs). As the toxic effects of mercury on nature and human health have become more widely recognized, efforts to reduce the supply of and the demand for mercury have increased, culminating in the UN Minamata Convention on Mercury in 2013. The Minamata Convention sets several goals at an international level to phase out the use of mercury during production processes and products. The Convention has been ratified by the EU on the 18th of May 2017. Although the phase out date for most of the uses of mercury by manufacture processes and the import or export of mercury added products (MAPs) was set for the 31st of December 2020, mercury bearing wastes and mercury added products (MAP) are still ubiquitous. During inspections the different chemical forms of mercury present in a wide range of products and materials may be encountered. Basic general characteristics to recognise elemental mercury and some common mercury compounds during inspections are: • Elemental mercury is a silver-coloured fluid and recognisable as such in many products • Some forms of mercury like mercury sulphide and mercury iodide have a distinctive red colour • Mercury is heavy To facilitate the recognition of mercury containing materials in the field Annex I to this report gives an overview of mercury containing materials, products and wastes with photos and other details. Many mercury bearing wastes however lack distinctive characteristics that can make them recognizable by a visual inspection. Information about the origin of the material in combination with the use of mobile equipment may prove useful here. To further enhance the yield of inspections, the use of field equipment is promising. Field equipment like an X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer has the potential to replace sampling and chemical analysis in a laboratory. Other methods tested during the STRiKE project like a dedicated mercury air analyser proved superior in the fast on-site detection of the presence of mercury in materials. Due to the use of mobile equipment safety is also better secured. Environmental inspections and environmental crime scene investigations take place in different mostly unique situations with different safety risks. In actual situations, there is often little time to do a thorough risk assessment. During the STRiKE project a Mercury Safety Tool was created that should assist compliance officers in taking the proper safety measures.ISFP-2018-AG-OC-ENV Number 86917