HELCOM RECOMMENDATION 6/3
Adopted 13 March 1985, having regard to Article 13, Paragraph b) of the Helsinki Convention
RECOMMENDATION CONCERNING MEASURES AIMED AT THE REDUCTION OF DISCHARGES OF MERCURY FROM CHLORALKALI INDUSTRY
THE COMMISSION,
RECALLING that according to Article 6 of the Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area, 1974, (Helsinki Convention), the Contracting Parties shall take all appropriate measures to control and strictly limit pollution by noxious substances,
RECALLING ALSO that Annex II of the Helsinki Convention defines mercury as a noxious substance for the purposes of Article 6 of the Convention,
RECOGNIZING that chloralkali industry is one of the main sources of pollution by mercury,
BEING MINDFUL of the pollution caused by chloralkali industry,
DESIRING to limit this pollution by accomplishing the treatment of chloralkali industry effluents corresponding to modern technology,
RECOMMENDS to the Governments of the Contracting Parties to the Helsinki Convention that:
a) best technical means should be used in industrial plants to be constructed after 1986 to minimize pollution by mercury; and
b) the existing industrial plants in operation should meet the following requirements:
- the total quantity of mercury in all water discharged from the site of the industrial plant should not exceed the monthly average of 1 g per ton chlorine production capacity from 1986;
- technology should be developed and high-effective vacuum equipment in departments should be put into operation before 1987 so that the losses in ventilation air are less than 5 g per ton chlorine production capacity, and less than 2 g per ton chlorine production capacity as target for 1990;
- the annual average mercury concentration in alkali should be reduced to 0.5 mg/l before 1987 and to 0.3 mg/l by 1990;
- the monthly average amount of mercury in hydrogen gas should be reduced to 1 g per ton chlorine produced by the end of 1986 and to 0.2 g per ton chlorine produced by 1990.
RECOMMENDS ALSO that measures taken in accordance with this Recommendation and the analyses and estimation methods used should be reported to the Commission one year after the adoption of this Recommendation and thereafter every 3 years,
RECOMMENDS FURTHER that the Contracting Parties, whenever possible, apply even more stringent measures than stated above aimed at the reduction of mercury from chloralkali industry.