- Department:Comprehensive Planning Division
The Ministry of Environment today (1st) convened the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Labor, Ocean Affairs Council, and National Science and Technology Council, among other agencies, to hold the "2026 National Chemical Substances Management Policy Guidelines and Action Plan Results Press Conference and Presentation Event — A Decade of Progress in Taiwan's Mercury Management." Experts and academics, industry associations, non-governmental organizations, and relevant government agencies at all levels were also invited to attend, jointly bearing witness to a decade of major achievements in Taiwan's mercury management and laying a stronger foundation of cooperation for the next phase of chemical substances management. Deputy Minister Hsieh Yein-Rui of the Ministry of Environment attended the event and stated that bidding farewell to the age of mercury and moving toward a mercury-free future is the most precious environmental gift we can give the next generation.
Mercury is internationally recognized as a heavy metal pollutant requiring strict control, owing to its high toxicity and tendency to accumulate in the environment over the long term. The Implementation Plan of Taiwan under the Minamata Convention to restrict and reduce mercury emissions, which entered into force on August 16, 2017. Taiwan has implemented the "Program to Advance the United Nations Minamata Convention on Mercury" since the Executive Yuan approved it on June 27, 2016, coordinating across ministries to advance source management of mercury, control of mercury-added products, waste recovery and treatment, pollution emission reduction, environmental monitoring, and workplace exposure management. Ten years on, these efforts have established a management system covering mercury's entire life cycle.
In terms of source management, the Ministry of Environment has, pursuant to the Toxic and Concerned Chemical Substances Control Act, listed mercury as a Class 1 toxic chemical substance since 1991. In principle, the manufacture of mercury is now prohibited, with an exception only for mercury recovered from waste treatment and resource recovery products; the import, sale, and use of mercury are likewise prohibited except for specific industrial uses for which no substitute exists.
Progress also continues in environmental monitoring and contaminated site remediation. Relevant agencies conduct monitoring and sampling of stationary pollution source emissions, ambient air, effluent discharge, river environments, drinking water, and marine water quality, among other items. Over the past decade, 10 mercury-contaminated sites have been remediated and delisted, and Taiwan has conducted long-range atmospheric transport monitoring in cooperation with international partners to track the distribution of mercury in the environment.
Regarding product control, Taiwan has prohibited the manufacture and import of nine major categories of mercury added products since 2021. As of July 2026, through regulations including the Toxic and Concerned Chemical Substances Control Act, Restrictions on the Importing of Mercury-Added Products, the Environmental Agents Control Act, Manufacture, Import, and Sale of Dry Cell Batteries, the Cosmetic Hygiene and Safety Act, the Medical Devices Act, and the Space Development Act, six additional categories of mercury added products have been added to the prohibition on manufacture and import, expanding the scope of control from 9 to 15 major categories. These now cover batteries, sphygmomanometers, cosmetics, lamps, mercury vacuum pumps, photographic film, tire balancers, and propellants for satellites and spacecraft, among others.
On health management, the government continues to conduct monitoring and sampling of food, agricultural produce, aquatic products, feed, and Chinese herbal materials. Overall results show that the vast majority of items meet domestic standards, and for the very few non-conforming cases identified, the source has been traced immediately and the products forcibly removed from sale and destroyed. Meanwhile, the government continues to advance permissible exposure limits for workplace mercury exposure and worker health protection measures, creating a safe working environment for frontline workers.
The Ministry of Environment emphasized that mercury management is a an ongoing endeavor sustainable undertaking requiring long-term commitment and cross-disciplinary cooperation. Going forward, the Ministry will continue to respond to developments in international conventions, domestic monitoring results, and changes in industrial technology, working through cross-ministerial coordination, professional exchange, and public communication to jointly build a mercury-free environment and a sustainable, healthy home for all.
For more information, please visit the Minamata Convention on Mercury information website of the Chemicals Administration, Ministry of Environment : : https://topic.moenv.gov.tw/hg/mp-3.html
