EU Assembly Keen to Ban Mercury in Thermometers
Date: 15-Mar-06
Country: FRANCE
Thermometers account for up to 30 of the 33 tonnes of the mercury used in measuring and control devices across the EU every year. Direct exposure from a broken thermometer can cause damage to lungs, kidneys and brain when inhaled.
"Mercury in household thermometers needs to be banned because it is an extremely toxic chemical," said EU lawmaker Marios Matsakis, who drafted the resolution. The European Commission, which instigates new legislation for the EU, made a similar recommendation last month.
Matsakis said he hoped the ban would be implemented within two or three years.
The EU assembly, meeting in Strasbourg, said a small number of companies should be able to continue producing traditional instruments using mercury, under strictly controlled conditions.
EU lawmakers want the EU to stop exporting mercury by 2010. "If we think mercury is toxic for us, we should be correct and not export it to others," Matsakis told Reuters.
They also urged the EU to restrict the use of mercury in dentistry, and control mercury emissions from crematoria.
