Source: http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/676566-government-to-ban-mercury-products.html
The National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) is proposing a total ban on the production, importation and exportation of products containing mercury, says Dr Gerald Sawula, the NEMA Deputy Executive Director.
The move will protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury which is currently being used in lighting and many healthcare products including clinical thermometers, blood pressure monitors and topical antiseptic agents.
This would be in accordance with the Minamata Convention on Mercury, which Uganda signed in 2013 but is yet to ratify and implement.
The objective of the Convention is to protect the human health and the environment from anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury.
Dr Sawula made the announcement during National Stakeholders’ Inception Workshop on the Ratification and Early Implementation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury.
“The Ugandan market is flooded with products which contain deadly mercury elements which are dangerous to people’s health. The overall objective of the Minamata convention on mercury is to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury,” said Sawula.
Sawula noted that by 2020, there should be no mercury devices in the country so healthcare facilities and schools should start phasing them out.
Products which contain mercury like Mekako soap, skin lightening creams, pesticides, energy saving bulbs, thermometers, blood pressure devices and dental fillings mercury amalgam are to be banned from the country.
Though the Government will ban the production, import and export of products that contain mercury by 2020, it will allow its use in certain critical areas, specifically healthcare, for the next four years.
The Convention gives the countries another 15 years to end all mercury mining.
“Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that can affect the kidney, nervous, digestive, respiratory and immune systems. That is why most children in Busia where they mine gold which contains mercury have bad tempers, damaged visions and hearing, forgetfulness and always have fatigue,” said Alex Winyi, a senior environment assessment officer.
In his statement, Ephraim Kamuntu, the minister of water and environment said that Uganda will benefit from new and updated information about the mercury situation in the country and from increased capacity in managing the risks of mercury.
“This is the second project that Uganda is undertaking on mercury. The first project Uganda implemented was related to reducing the impacts of mercury without adversely impacting on the well-being of sectors that use mercury added products like Dental Amalgam in the health sector,” said Kamuntu.
He called upon ministries and agencies directly involved in the project to work together to ensure that adequate and correct quantitative and qualitative data is obtained about mercury.
Uses of mercury
Being the only metal which is liquid at room temperature, it is used in thermometers because it has a large thermal expansion which is constant over a large temperature range. It is also used in barometers an manometers due to its high density.
According to Alex Winyi, Mercury is also used as a component for dental amalgams for making fillings for teeth.
This dangerous metal has nearly 2,000 industrial applications. Besides healthcare products, it is also used in paints, cosmetics, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), electrical switches and fertilisers.