MERCURY (Data in metric tons of mercury content, unless noted)1/ Domestic Production and Use: Mercury was produced as a byproduct at nine gold mining operations in Nevada, California, and Utah. Other gold mines in these States were believed to have recovered mercury, but data were not available to make estimates. Several companies in the Eastern and Central United States recovered mercury from worn out or obsolete items such as batteries, electrical apparatus, fluorescent lamps, instruments, and dental amalgams. Mercury also was recovered at chlorine and caustic soda plants. The value of mercury used in the United States was estimated at $3.6 million. It was estimated that 28% of domestic consumption was used in the production of chlorine and caustic soda, 23% for electronic and electrical applications, 16% for instruments and related products, and 33% for other uses. Salient Statistics--United States: 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995e/ Production: Mine2/ 58 64 W W W Secondary, industrial 165 176 350 466 450 Imports for consumption 56 92 40 129 500 Exports 786 977 389 316 220 Shipments from Government stocks:3/ National Defense Stockpile 103 267 543 86 -- U.S. Department of Energy 215 103 -- -- -- Consumption: Reported 554 621 558 483 480 Apparent W W W W W Price, average value, dollars per flask, New York, dealer 122.42 201.39 187.00 194.45 250.00 Stocks, industry, yearend4/ 313 436 384 368 450 Employment, mine and mill, average (primary production) 3 -- -- -- -- Net import reliance5/ as a percent of apparent consumption W W W W W Recycling: Secondary and redistilled mercury accounted for 65% of domestic consumption in 1995. Import Sources (1991-94): Canada, 49%; Russia, 37%; Germany, 13%; and other, 1%. Tariff: Item Number Most favored nation (MFN) Non-MFN6/ 12/31/95 12/31/95 Mercury 2805.40.0000 1.7% ad val. 5.7% ad. val. Depletion Allowance: 22% (Domestic), 14% (Foreign). Government Stockpile: In addition to the quantities shown below, 146 tons of secondary mercury was held by the U.S. Department of Energy at Oak Ridge, TN. Stockpile Status--9-30-95 Uncommitted Committed Authorized Disposals Material inventory inventory for disposal Jan.-Sept. 95 Mercury 4,410 34.7 4,410 -- Prepared by Mercury Specialist, (703) 648-4982. MERCURY Events, Trends, and Issues: Imports of mercury increased dramatically in 1995, after the temporary suspension of sales of mercury from the National Defense Stockpile (NDS) in 1994. NDS sales will not resume until the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Defense Logistics Agency can determine a way to sell the mercury to ensure that its use will not lead to environmental problems. Consumption remained nearly the same because of the gradual elimination of mercury from many products and processes. Mercury use in consumer batteries has dropped to about 5 tons per year since its use has been restricted to alkaline button cells for hearings aids, pagers, and other small electronic devices. Military and medical equipment still use mercuric-oxide batteries, because of the lack of acceptable substitutes. State and Federal studies are continuing on the development of effective substitutes for mercury in switches, electrical devices, and dental amalgams; however, commercial production is not expected for several years. Recovery of mercury from scrap materials has remained nearly the same for the past 2 years. Mercury is recovered from spent batteries, tilt switches, measuring devices, fluorescent light tubes, chlorine and caustic soda wastewater sludges, dental amalgams, and other products. A new low-mercury fluorescent light tube became available in late 1995. The 1.22-meter (4-foot) tube contains only 10 milligrams of mercury compared with 22.8 milligrams in currently produced lamps. This is down from an industry average of 38.4 milligrams per tube in 1990. The low-mercury content in these lamps should allow for their disposal as nonhazardous waste. World Mine Production, Reserves, and Reserve Base: Mine production Reserves7/ Reserve base7/ 1994 1995e/ United States W W 3,000 4,000 Algeria 475 450 2,000 3,000 China 500 500 (8/) (8/) Mexico 10 10 5,000 9,000 Italy -- -- -- 69,000 Kyrgyzstan 200 200 7,500 13,000 Spain 300 1,700 76,000 90,000 Ukraine 50 50 2,500 4,000 Other countries 223 200 30,000 48,000 World total (may be rounded) 1,760 3,100 130,000 240,000 World Resources: World mercury resources are estimated at nearly 600,000 tons, principally in Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, and Ukraine. These are sufficient for another century or more, especially with declining consumption rates. Substitutes: Lithium, nickel-cadmium, and zinc-air compounds are substitutes for mercury-zinc batteries. Indium compounds substitute for mercury in alkaline batteries. Diaphragm and membrane cells replace mercury cells in the electrolytic production of chlorine and caustic soda. Ceramic composites can replace dental amalgams; organic compounds have replaced mercury fungicides in latex paint. Digital instruments have replaced mercury thermometers in many applications. e/Estimated. W Withheld to avoid disclosing company proprietary data. 1/One metric ton (1,000 kilograms) = 29.0082 flasks. 2/Mercury was recovered only as a byproduct of gold mining. 3/Metal sold from the National Defense Stockpile and surplus secondary mercury released from U.S. Department of Energy stocks. 4/Consumer stocks only. 5/Defined as imports - exports + adjustments for Government and industry stock changes. 6/See Appendix B. 7/See Appendix C for definitions. 8/Included in "Other countries." Mineral Commodity Summaries, January 1996