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Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Answer

Mr. Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment her Department has made of the quantities of cadmium released to the environment from (a) phosphate fertilizer use, (b) iron and steel manufacture, (c) fossil fuel combustion and (d) nickel-cadmium batteries. [199683] Mr. Morley: I have been asked to reply. (a) Estimated annual inputs of cadmium to the environment from phosphate fertilizer use have fallen from 7.1 tonnes in 1990, to 4.8 tonnes in 2003. It is likely that levels of contamination were higher 10 years earlier (i.e. 1980), but comparable data are not available for that period. (b) and (c) Information on atmospheric emissions of a range of substances is provided by the UK National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (UKNAEI). Annual emissions of cadmium from iron and steel manufacture fell from less than five tonnes in 1970 to less than one tonne in 2002. Cadmium emissions from fuel combustion were 15.5 tonnes in 1970, falling to 3.5 tonnes in 2002. (d) The recent targeted risk assessment commissioned by the Belgian Government under the existing substances regulation concluded that 75 per cent. of all refined cadmium (cadmium is a by product of zinc refining) goes into nickel cadmium batteries (NiCd). However, this accounts for only 1 per cent. of all cadmium released into the environment. NiCd batteries account for 0.0055 per cent. of municipal solid waste in the European Union.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

199683; 428 c290-1W

Session

2004-05

Subjects

Environment Fuels Fertilisers Iron and steel Manufacturing industries Pollution control Batteries Nickel Cadmium

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk