The largest sources of Hg emissions to air are waste incineration and coal combustion in energy industries. The emission from energy industries decreased by 75 % from 1990 to 2000 due to improved flue gas cleaning and decreasing coal combustion. The Pb emissions from non-industrial combustion is dominated by wood combustion in residential plants while emissions from the waste sector is mainly due to human and animal cremation. The variations in emissions from industrial processes owe to shut down in 2002 followed by re-opening and a second shut in 2005 down of the electro-steelwork.

Hg is used in e.g. amalgam fillings, batteries, switches, relays and different light sources (e.g. energy saving light bulbs and strip lights). These are main sources of Hg in waste for incineration together with Hg in products. 

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