This report focuses on an abandoned chlor-alkali and PVC plant in Vlora, Albania. The chlor-alkali industry produces chlorine gas and alkali (sodium hydroxide) by a process that applies electrolysis to saltwater. Some chlor-alkali plants use a mercury-cell process in which mercury is used as the electrolysis cathode. This occurred at the Vlora facility.
In the case of Vlora, the former chlor-alkali factory dumped directly into the Bay and was abandoned in 1992 leaving a grossly contaminated site. High levels of mercury were found in fish from Vlora bay. This report is part of global mercury monitoring project organized by IPEN in 2012/2013.
