BALTIC SEAENVIRONMENT PROCEEDINGS No. 59 - Helcom

The paints intended to be used as antifouling paints have to-day to be registered
before use according to the Pesticide Regulation. Paints containing organotin
compounds are to-day only allowed for boats and vessels intended for Ocean traffic.
Reduction of emissions of heavy metals to the Baltic has always been a priority.
Batteries contain heavy metals, some of them at a high percentage. A new
recommendation was adopted at Helcom 14. ‘Reduction of diffuse emissions from
used batteties containing heavy metals ( mercury, cadmium and lead ) 14/j’. This
new recommendation supersedes Helcom recommendation 6/5 which related only to
mercury and cadmium.
Batteries are products which cause concern when they become waste and the heavy
metals might become bio-available. This is an example of the situation when
recovery or safe disposal of spent batteries should be applied in order to avoid
contamination of the environment.
In 1989, Sweden implemented an’ Ordinance on Batteries Hazardous to the
Environment’.
According to this Ordinance, batteries dangerous to the environment are defined to be
sealed batteries with more than 0,025% mercury and cadmium as well as starting
lead batteries with a weight more than 3 kg/ battery. According to this Ordinance,
batteries have to be labelled and after being used, be collected separately and they
are not allowed to be thrown away with the household garbage.
Used batteries could be thrown away in public boxes or returned to the seller.
Anyone, who manufactures or imports batteries dangerous to the environment, shall
declare the amount of sold batteries to the Environment Protection Agency and pay a
fee that corresponds to the following expenses;
- final disposal of batteries
- the information that seems to be necessary in order to inform about the measures
of the regulation
- for lead batteries, collection of the batteries
The Swedish experiences so far show that the rate of collection is high for button
batteries ( 90% ) but rather low for other batteries ( 20-30%).
Another recommendation referring to mercury is ’ Recommendation concerning
measures aimed at the reduction of mercury resulting from dentistry 6/4’~
According to the recommendation, arrangements for collection of waste containing
mercury from dental clinics, laboratories and surgeries should be established. The
recommendation also encourages the phasing out of amalgam.
Sweden has different recommendations for taking care of mercury waste in those
areas. The most difficult area has been dental clinics, where due to many practical
circumstances, the system has not worked very well. The waste of amalgam is to-day
a major source of pollution of mercury in Sweden.
A fact sheet for dental clinics has recently been published by the Environmental
Protection Agency. This information will hopefully improve the situation.
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