Questions & Answers
Are mercury-containing lamps a significant source of mercury in New Zealand?
The report found mercury-containing lamps make up less than two per cent of New Zealand’s mercury emissions. The report estimates that New Zealand’s total mercury emissions for 2008 are 3000 kg Hg/year with the amount from natural and manmade sources roughly equal. The largest sources include volcanoes (28 per cent) and energy (26 per cent).
What are the projections for the future?
Predicting mercury emission levels is difficult because of uncertainties around economic development, energy policy and natural events such as volcanic activity. Given these uncertainties, the report found that mercury levels were likely to increase 20 per cent, principally from emissions from human activities increasing 40 per cent. The amount of mercury from lamps is likely to stay the same but their share of total mercury emissions will drop to less than one per cent as other sources increase.
What are the risks of mercury pollution in New Zealand?
Too much mercury can result in land and water pollution with toxicity to plants, micro-organisms, animals and people. The main risk to people comes from eating fish. There is limited evidence that mercury exposure is of concern in New Zealand. However, the New Zealand Food Safety Authority has issued precautionary advice for pregnant women to limit their consumption of long-lived predatory fish at the top of the food chain (eg, bluefin tuna) and trout caught from lakes in geothermal areas.
Who is most sensitive to mercury?
Unborn and newborn babies are particularly sensitive to the effects of mercury as their blood-brain barrier is less developed than adults so is less effective at preventing mercury from reaching the brain.
What are the risks of exposure from a broken CFL?
Studies indicate that there is only a very small risk from breakages of CFLS and that this risk can be reduced or eliminated if prompt and proper clean up is carried out. See www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/waste/disposal-household-lamps-mar07/index.html
What are the risks from landfills?
Modern landfills are designed to limit the amount of mercury that escapes into the environment. Workers operating near the working face of a landfill could potentially be exposed to elevated concentrations of mercury, although the risks are thought to be low. Overall, there is insufficient information to quantify the impact of mercury emissions from landfills in New Zealand.
