- Date:2019-08-28
- Department:Evaluation Management Division
In response to and in compliance with the mercury product control as prescribed in Minamata Convention on Mercury, Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) has announced amendments to management items of Toxic Chemical Substance Control Act for Mercury to enhance our control measures with respect to mercury products.
EPA expressed that mercury is absorbed into the body mainly via inhalation or diet. Once it is absorbed by our human body, it will be hard to remove it and will result in nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. After a period of time, the accumulated mercury can even damage our brain, nervous system, liver, kidneys and lungs. Besides, mercury can hardly be decomposed and undergo bioaccumulation. That is, mercury can continuously circulate in our living environment and gradually accumulated in organism then causes damages to human health and environment.
To prevent mercury from contaminating our environment or harming our health, EPA announced Mercury as a Class 1 toxic chemical substance and should be controlled by laws in 1991. In response to Minamata Convention on Mercury, EPA therefore made amendments accordingly to further restrict and prohibit the use of mercury; and to protect our citizens from the exposure risks thereof.
EPA indicated that Minamata Convention on Mercury enacted on August 16 of 2017 had fully and strictly restricted the mercury content of products such as button-type batteries, switches and relays, lighting fixtures, fluorescent lamps, cosmetics, pesticide-related products, and non-electronic measuring instruments like barometers, hygrometers, pressure gauges, thermometers, sphygmomanometers and so forth. Besides, the Convention also stated that production, import or export of aforesaid products would be fully prohibited in 2021.
EPA expressed that, in response to the amendments to Mercury management items, it summoned 4 interdepartmental meetings to deliberate the Mercury control and work division strategy. Besides, EPA also plans to establish an interdepartmental team to control the import ans export of Mercury products.
EPA also summoned three meetings with dealers from relevant industries. All of the attendees expressed their acknowledgement for the Convention and agreed that they would gradually use Mercury-free substitutes. In the meantime, EPA also took their opinions into consideration to include the Convention’s exempted uses in the amendments for control exclusion.
Apart from amendments to Mercury management items, EPA further invited Council of Agriculture, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Labor to stipulate “Promotional Plan for the Implementation of Minamata Convention on Mercury” in order to comply with the trend of this international Convention. The said Plan was approved by Executive Yuan on June 27, 2016 with an expectation that our country’s mercury control mechanism will be implemented through interdepartmental cooperation.
EPA emphasized that imposing stricter evaluation on Mercury control has limited effect on our country’s relevant industries. Besides, the amendments were made not only to comply with international convention, but also to minimize mercury contamination to the environment and to protect the health of our citizens.
The aforesaid amendments have been preannounced as drafted proposal in accordance with Administrative Procedure Act; and public hearing and deliberation relevant administrative procedures were also completed accordingly. For detailed information, please download the annexes from EPA’s official website (in “News” zone; https://enews.moenv.gov.tw/enews/fact_index.asp). Relevant information are also published on “The Executive Yuan Gazette Online” (https://gazette.nat.gov.tw/egFront). We welcome all of you to visit relevant websites.
