| Author (Person) | Smith, Emily |
|---|---|
| Series Title | European Voice |
| Series Details | Vol.12, No.7, 23.2.06 |
| Publication Date | 23/02/2006 |
| Content Type | News |
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By Emily Smith Date: 23/02/06 The European Commission has proposed outlawing mercury thermometers throughout Europe. A draft directive banning the use of mercury in thermometers has been debated since May 2005 and was finally adopted on Tuesday (21 February). The ban would apply to fever thermometers used by professionals and by consumers. The use of mercury in consumer instruments used to measure pressure, such as barometers and manometers, would also no longer be permitted. The directive does not cover other medical and professional equipment, which the Commission says use far less mercury. Second-hand thermometers and barometers running on mercury could however still be sold. A ban would become law 18 months after the directive is adopted by EU governments. Environmentalists claim that, if not properly disposed of, mercury can end up in the food chain and lead to nervous and digestive disorders among humans. Health lobby groups say the directive does not go far enough. "Mercury would still be allowed for a lot of commercial and industrial uses, for example oven thermometers and water gauges," said Lisette Van Vliet of the European Public Health Alliance Environment network (EEN). Ven Vliet added that for most mercury uses "perfectly good alternatives" were already easily available. She pointed to Sweden, where mercury has been banned with a very few exemptions since the late 1990s. MEPs on Wednesday (22 February) voted to ban exports of mercury from the EU by 2010 at the latest. The deadline is one year earlier than that suggested by the Commission in its 2005 proposal for a community strategy on mercury. Europe is currently the world's main mercury exporter, with almost a third of global mercury coming from the EU in 2003. Only one European mercury mine is still open and selling its own mercury reserves, though production has stopped. Mercury is however also a side product of chlorine manufacture and can currently be sold on for other uses by industry. The European Parliament environment committee report, by Cypriot Liberal MEP Marios Matsakis, calls for "adequate compensation measures" to be set aside for Spanish regions affected by an export ban. The chlorine industry however maintained that an EU-level ban would be futile. Industry group Euro-Chlor claimed that if Europe took action on its own, industrial mercury recycling would end but mining would increase beyond EU borders. Euro-Chlor is calling instead for improved underground mercury storage systems to prevent environmental damage. Parliament's report also "asks the Commission to take further measures... to control mercury emissions from crematoria, given that this is an increasing and worrisome source of emissions" and recommends testing EU fish for high mercury levels. In a statement accompanying the report, Matsakis, originally a doctor, described mercury as "a global threat" that "crosses national or regional boundaries, travelling long distances through the atmosphere, contaminating European and global food supplies at levels posing a significant risk to human health". Mercury, also known as quicksilver, occurs naturally and has historically been mined mainly in Spain, China, Kyrgyzstan and Algeria. The European Commission proposed outlawing mercury thermometers throughout Europe. A draft directive banning the use of mercury in thermometers had been debated since May 2005 and was finally adopted on 21 February 2006. The ban would apply to fever thermometers used by professionals and by consumers. |
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| Source Link | http://www.european-voice.com/ |
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| Subject Categories | Business and Industry, Environment, Health |
| Countries / Regions | Europe |
