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The European Commission has proposed to ban mercury in household thermometers in order to stop the toxic compound ending up in landfills and posing a threat to humans, wildlife and ecosystems.
According to the Commission, home thermometers alone use up to 25-30 tons of the 33 tons of mercury used every year in the EU to manufacture measuring and control devices.
The Commission proposal is part of a wider mercury strategy tabled in January 2005 (EurActiv 1 Feb. 2005). In June last year, EU ministers supported a proposal to ban all exports of mercury by 2011 (EurActiv, 27 June 2005).
LinksDossier: Environment and health strategy (SCALE)
The proposal, tabled on Tuesday (21 February), seeks to prevent the bulk of the EU's 33 ton annual output of mercury used in measuring and control devices from building up in the environment - particularly in fish and seafood products.
Professional medical equipment was excluded from the scope of the proposal, because adequate substitutes are not always available yet, the Commission indicated.
The proposal was welcomed by environmental pressure groups as a much needed step to prevent health risks of mercury. However, they regretted that it only concerned consumer products. "All other measuring and control devices for professional use, like room or equipment thermometers, will not be mercury-free, despite available alternatives," said Lisette van Vliet, Toxics Policy Advisor for Health Care Without Harm.
The proposal still needs approval form the European Parliament and the EU Council of Ministers, a process which usually takes about two years.
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(21 Feb. 2006)
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