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Norway will ban mercury

Posted at 9:31 AM on 26 Dec 2007

Come Jan. 1, Norway will completely ban mercury in manufacturing, imports, and exports. "Mercury is among the most dangerous pollutants. Good alternatives to mercury exist already and it is therefore right to introduce this ban," says Environment Minister Erik Solheim, with due formality. Norway's standards exceed that of the European Union, which will ban mercury in thermometers in the first half of 2009 and in exports by 2011.

source: Agence France-Presse

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Comments: (3 comments)

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Banning Elemental Mercury Nice, What About Coal?

Norway has a very small coal reserves, but they use them like most other countries. It's great to be concerned about elemental mercury, but when your burning a fuel with significant amounts of this element in this you have to wonder if it's a somewhat futile effort.

Also: I have to wonder what this ban will do to effect electronics that rely on mercury for their existence like mercury vapor lamps and florescent lighting?

by nycowboy at 1:03 PM on 26 Dec 2007

Norwegian Coal, Oil and Gas

Actually, NYCowboy, Norway has quite large coal reserves in the arctic Svalbard archipelago. But, no, unlike most other nations we do NOT use coal. Norwegian homes and industry are powered by natural hydropower and have been for a century now. In fact we export some of that power too. However being the world's third largest exporter of oil, and #2 in natural gas, we have more than our fair share of energy. Of course, that oil and gas is used in the US, UK and Germany so we can't help you reduce that pollution.

by andrewh1112 at 10:51 AM on 27 Dec 2007

Don't CFL lights...

...contain mercury? Does Norway plan to outlaw CFL's as well? That'd be tragic, unless they replaced it with something just as good.

by Tasermons Partner at 8:42 PM on 27 Dec 2007

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