Will Mercury Rise or Fall? - C&EN Global Enterprise (ACS Publications)

Nov 6, 2010 - U. S. MERCURY producers this week are entering their third month in a lately unfamiliar milieu—a market unsupported by the government ...
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Will Mercury Rise or Fall? Mercury industry has strengthened^ b u t its fyimsre — w i t h price props gone — is uncertain U # S. AIERCURY p r o d u c e r s this w e e k t h a n 1 0 p o u n d s p e r t o n ) t h a n s o m e fora r e e n t e r i n g t h e i r t h i r d m o n t h in a l a t e l y e i g n d e p o s i t s , a n d p r o d u c t i o n c o s t s a r e u n f a m i l i a r milieu—a m a r k e t unsup- relatively high. On t h e p o s i t i v e s i d e , t h e S p a n i s h p o r t e d b y the g o v e r n m e n t p u r c h a s e procombiner, Mercnxneo g r a m t h a t e x p i r e d a t t h e e n d of 1 9 5 8 . I t a l i a n m e r c u r y It's t o o s o o n t o tell w h a t will h a p p e n to E u r o p e o , w h i c h w a s d i s s o K e d i n 1*950, t h e m e r c u r i a l d o m e s t i c i n d u s t r y , b u t At- l i a s n o t r e t u r n e d t o a c t i o n . T h i s -comtorney G e n e r a l William P. Rogers has b i n e , evidently r e g a r d e d b y some as i h e set d o w n a h a n d f u l of c l u e s — s o m e g o o d , Xlafia of d i e m e r c u r y b u s i n e s s , s e e m s to s o m e bad—in his j u s t - i s s u e d r e p o r t o n H a v e h a d s o m e s t r e n g t h , s i n c e t h e ccxmt h e i n d u s t r y , s u b m i t t e d t o t h e P r e s i d e n t Hiiied m e r c u r y o u t p u t of S p a i n -and a n d C o n g r e s s u n d e r S e c t i o n 7 0 8 ( E ) of I t a l y d r o p p e d f r o m 7 3 ' < o f w o r l d p r o d u c t i o n in 1 9 5 0 t o 4 8 ' * in 1 9 5 7 . W d â t h e D e f e n s e P r o d u c t i o n Act of 1 9 5 0 . r— i n r ~ _. — n o r *\t\t-± li \_ T h e i n d u s t r y s e e m s in r e l a t i v e l y g o o d U l l iι p i i li 111 XZfOi \\&2i -OO-J-,Λπ/ν» lictÎxhA, shape today. P r o d u c t i o n h a s c l i m b e d w i t h t h e U . S. t u r n i n g o u t 1 7 ' " of i t steadily, hitting 40,425 flasks ( 7 6 S p a i n a n d Italy a r e still t h e l e a d i n g p o u n d s ) in 1 9 5 7 , a n d 78Vf of t h a t p r o d u c e r s , h o w e v e r , a n d IRogers m e n a m o u n t f o r d i e first n i n e m o n t h s of last t i o n s a r e c e n t p r e s s r e p o r t t h a t I t a l i a n y e a r . P r i c e ( a t N e w Y o r k ) h a s b e e n p r o d u c e r s , faced b y c o m p e t i t i o n f r o m falling, b u t l a s t w e e k it w a s $ 2 1 8 - 8 2 2 3 S p a i n , M e x i c o , a n d Yugoslavia, a r e p e r flask, just slightly b e l o w t h e $ 2 2 5 H o l d i n g a b o u t a \ e a r ' s p r o d u c t i o n of ^Hifloor t h e G o v e r n m e n t w a s s u p p o r t i n g . s o l d m e r c u r y . T h e s e s t o c k s , if - d r o p p e d A n d d o m e s t i c p r o d u c t i o n a c c o u n t e d for s u d d e n l y o n t h e m a r k e t , c o u l d d m n p 83.6 f A of c o n s u m p t i o n in t h e first n i n e t h e w o r l d p r i c e i m m e d i a t e l y , h e s a y s . m o n t h s of 1 9 5 8 , a g a i n s t 13.37r in 1 9 5 0 . T h e U . S-, in c o n t r a s t t o i t s s e c o n d a r y B u t t h r o u g h R o g e r s ' r e p o r t r u n s a p o s i t i o n a s a m e r c u r y p r o d u c e r , is aibe t h r e a d of b a s i c facts u n c h a n g e d b y t h e w o r l d ' s l a r g e s t c o n s u m e r o f t h e m e t a L i n d u s t r y ' s i m p r o v e m e n t of t h e p a s t f e w >J early half of t h i s c o n s u m p t i o n g o e s years. U . S. m e r c u r y d e p o s i t s a r e i n t o f o u r b i g a r e a s : electrical a p p a r a small, irregular, a n d scattered. T h e y tus, instruments, pesticides, a n d roera r e g e n e r a l l y p o o r e r ( a v e r a g i n g less c-urv cells f o r caustic-chloriDe iprodme-

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