Starting on July 1, imports and sales of mercury thermometers will be banned for domestic use to prevent the heavy metal from contaminating the environment and endangering human health, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said yesterday.
The ban will be extended to clinics and hospitals at later stages of the program, said Ho Soong-chin (何舜琴), director general of the department of Solid Waste Control.
Calling on people to buy electronic thermometers instead, Ho said the battery-operated units were more environmentally friendly -- not only because they contain no harmful heavy metals, but also because they have longer lifespans.
"Mercury is a toxic compound that accumulates in the body. Even the smallest amount could be dangerous to the health," Ho said, citing the 1953 Minamata Bay disaster in Japan, where 12,600 people became sick -- and 1,400 eventually died -- after eating mercury-tainted fish.
Once a mercury thermometer breaks, a thorough cleanup needs to be conducted so that no traces remain, Ho said.
"This is difficult and in the end if the mercury is converted into methylmercury when it comes into contact with the air, it could enter the human body even more easily," she said.
Many countries -- among them Sweden, Denmark and Holland, have completely banned mercury thermometers, Ho said.
"At present Taiwan uses on average of 527,000 mercury thermometers annually. As each device contains 1.2g of mercury, this translates to 632kg of mercury usage per year, the equivalent of 52.7 million fluorescent light tubes," Ho said.
Starting on July 1, people found to have imported mercury thermometers could face a fine of up to NT$300,000 (US$1,000), while selling them could lead to a fine of NT$6,000 per offense, Ho said.
Hospitals and their suppliers, as well as those who obtained import licenses prior to the announcement, are excluded, she said.
Ho said the administration had already certified 22,000 electronic thermometers, which in time will completely replace their mercury equivalents. They went on sale last month.
"The public need not worry about a shortage of thermometers -- even after the ban," she said.
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