The Illegal Trade in Chemicals

Mercury

This report uses “illegal,” and “illicit,” interchangeably to mean any export or import of mercury that does not comply with all legal requirements including:

• Trade without an export or import permit • Legal export of mercury mined without a mining permit • Export of mercury in a form that is prohibited from export • Export or import without any formal documentation • Export or import with falsified documents

Even so, there are grey areas such as otherwise legally traded mercury that happens to be shipped in flasks that do not meet the United Nations Hazardous Material Shipping Requirements or equivalent transport safety standards.

The term“informal”refers to economic activities that occur outside the mainstream economic activities that are subject to routine regulation and reporting. Informal activities may simply be undocumented, but they may also be illegal. “Undocumented”means that the transactions have not been reported to any authorities.

The Illegal Trade in Chemicals

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