Written question asked by Lord Forsyth of Drumlean (Conservative), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Rooker (Labour) on Tuesday, 17 July 2007.

Mercury: Barometers

Question: asked Her Majesty's Government:How many new barometers containing mercury are made each year in the United Kingdom; how many of them are for (a) scientific and industrial use, and (b) domestic use; what is the quantity of mercury used in each case; and how much of that is from recycled sources.

Answer: It is estimated that some 30 kilograms of mercury are used each year in the manufacture of new barometers in the UK. As a typical barometer contains 100 to 600 grams of mercury, this equates to the production of 50 to 300 new instruments annually. No further breakdown of these figures is available. The only mercury mine in Europe, at Almaden in Spain, ceased extraction of ore in June 2001 and production of mercury from stockpiled ore in July 2003. It is not known how much of the mercury directly produced at Almaden is still available but, increasingly, mercury for new barometers will be available only from recycled material or from mercury imported into the European Union.

Secondary information