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By Phelim Kyne, Dow Jones Newswires BEIJING, China, 1 April 2002 -- China has suspended the registration of imports of mercury due to environmental concerns, the State Environmental Protection Administration said. The import ban is intended to reduce the possibility of the type of mercury poisoning that has occurred in Japan in recent decades, a statement dated Monday on the EPA's Web site said. It didn't specify the amount or value of mercury imports affected by the ban. A spokesman at the EPA's Chemical Registration Center said the ban has actually been in effect since early 2001, but was unable to provide any additional details. Mercury is a naturally occurring element that is used in the manufacture of plastics and petrochemicals. After mercury enters water it's transformed into a highly toxic form that accumulates in fish. Consumption of mercury-contaminated fish resulted in a serious outbreak of mercury poisoning in the Japanese city of Minimata in the 1950s. The EPA is currently pursuing the drafting of legislation to limit or eliminate domestic production of mercury as well as sponsoring research into the development of industrial substitutes, the Web site report added. -By Phelim Kyne, Dow Jones Newswires; 8610 6588-5848; Phelim.kyne@dowjones.com FAIR USE NOTICE. This document contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. The Basel Action Network is making this article available in our efforts to advance understanding of ecological sustainability and environmental justice issues. We believe that this constitutes a `fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond `fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. More News |