Although this is a handbook for policy and regulation, the major part of it is filled with data on the three heavy metals that serve as examples: mercury, cadmium and lead. Their stocks, productions, prices, trade flows, uses and applications, recovery and recycling, as well as their (eco)toxicological characteristics have been collected and presented. In addition, they are analysed for consistency, future developments and trends and their consequences for sustainable development and future policy and regulation. The second part, on policy and regulation, begins with a consideration of the characteristics of a sustainable heavy metals policy, whereby innovative policy tools are developed. In many aspects, these considerations are also valid for other metals and even non-metallic persistent substances. Addressing the European Union in particular, its policy-making structure and practice are critically analysed, in order to develop feasible and viable guidelines for long, medium and short term EU policy measures. The results of this exercise are then applied to the three heavy metals.
Existing EU measures are presented in detail and confronted with better practices elsewhere, resulting in suggestions and recommendations for the future. This handbook should be useful for policy-makers and administrators at all levels, as well as for their counterparts in a wide variety of industries. In addition, it should be suitable for environmental science courses at academic or higher professional level.