With the scientific and technological progress, the development of electronic instrument and consuming electronic products is very prosperous, such as mercury dry battery, mercury thermometer and mercury manometer etc. Part of products contains the mercury which is harmful to the environment. If it is not recovered and treated properly so that it is released to the environment, it may cause the environmental pollution and be accumulated in the organism, which may endanger the human body. Due to the mercury is harmful to the environment and human health, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) to prohibit and limit the use of mercury dry battery, mercury thermometer and mercury manometer. The content of work completed by the execution of this project includes: (一)As for promoting the policy of “Restriction of the Manufacture, Import, and Sale of Mercury-containing Dry Cell Batteries” 1.Help finish relevant preparation works and supplementary measures before the implementation of this policy (1)Since April of 2006, more than 20 promulgating demonstration sessions have been completed, and 517 companies have attended the session. (2)The appointed battery confirmation documents for 956 types of battery have been issued to 123 companies, in order to protect the rights of legal companies. (3)In August of 2006, the establishment of “Audit Operation Rules for the Restriction of the Manufacture, Import, and Sale of Mercury-containing Dry Cell Batteries” has been finished, and 9 sessions of auditor training has been completed, and 517 persons attended the sessions. (4)Edit 300 audit operation manuals, which are submitted to the executive authorities of counties and cities for implementing audit operation. 2.Almost all companies have to cooperate with the implementation of this policy (1)As for the self measuring results by the companies, the value is N. D. for 562 types (59%); below 0.5ppm for 385 types (excluding N. D. value), the measuring value of only about 1% of battery type is above one tenth of limited value (0.5ppm). It shows that the domestic market has already led to the low mercury battery merchandise. 3.The competent authority cooperates and carries out the audit work well (1)From September of 2006 to January of 2007, the audit results of the competent authority show that there are 209 manufacturers, importers, and 20,005 (including 1067 newly added and 950 screened out during the implementation period) vendors. The manufacturers and importers were audited for 310 times, and the vendors were audited for 21,536 times. The audit rate has reached 100% already. It shows that the Environmental Protection Bureau has cooperated and carried out this policy well. (2)The violation rate of vendors is only 0.26% and it is decreasing month by month (no confirmation document for the designated battery attached to another goods mainly, it might be the battery accompanied with importing goods or the existing goods before the implementation of policy). 36 companies have already been denounced and 19 upstream source companies have been traced. 4.The designated battery attached to another goods and without confirmation document shall be strengthened (1)According to the test results of 500 types of sample, the value of 28 types of sample (5.6%) exceeds 5ppm (maximum value is 99.2ppm) which 3 types of sample have got confirmation document. Its selling type is attached designated battery mainly, which accounts for 75%. As for the producing country, 14 types of rejected sample have no label in majority (42% of rejection rate). Where 13 types are manufactured in Mainland China (3.6% of rejection rate). (2)The audit results for evening markets, peripheral street peddlers or low price stores show that there are many kinds of appointed battery and the sales period is quite long and appointed battery to be article various in style to enclose and goods sell issue long (part of them is the existing goods before the implementation of policy). It is easy to find that a small quantity of merchandise violates with no confirmation document. Generally speaking, the merchandise sold in street peddlers and evening markets is small in quantity and the violation is not serious as anticipated. 5.From above-mentioned description, as for the control policy for the mercury content in designated battery, the policy goal has been achieved primarily through the results of the comparison of controlled companies, the audit of Environmental Protection Bureau and the sampling inspection of this project. (二)As for the preparation and drafting on the announcement draft and supplementary measure for prohibiting and limiting the utilization of mercury thermometer and mercury manometer 1.Collect the management way of the advanced country, such as European Union, Sweden, U.S.A. etc. or other local government, their policy relies mainly on prohibiting and limiting the utilization. The control way is to legislate the limitation and prohibition for the manufacturing, import and sales of thermometer/manometer. 2.It is estimated that the consumption of mercury is 0.6 tons for the mercury thermometer and 1.6 tons for the manometer every year, which is 2.2 tons totally. According to the reporting information grasped by the Department of Environmental Sanitation and Toxic Substance Management of EPA, the consumption of mercury was 5,048 tons in 2006, which was mainly used in the industrial catalyst, sunlight lamp and fluorescent lamp mercury switch, thermometer and manometer. Where 3.0 tons were used in the manufacturing of thermometer and mercury manometer, which accounted for about 55%. It shows that the mercury thermometer and manometer is really one of the emission sources mainly for the domestic mercury. 3.This project has already finished the preparation and drafting on the announcement draft for prohibiting the utilization of mercury thermometer, and recommended to create the optimal disposal system and reuse channel of mercury products, and planned to adopt the encourage measures to the recovery of mercury products. 4.Due to the mercury thermometer and mercury manometer etc. belong to the medical device controlled by the Medicine Law of National Health Administration, it is necessary to apply the manufacturing or import license. Meanwhile, the Department of Environmental Sanitation and Toxic Substance Management of EPA has announced that the mercury is prohibited for the manufacturing of thermometer since January 1, 2008. So upon preparing the control policy and responsibility for prohibiting and limiting the utilization of mercury thermometer and mercury manometer, it still needs to consider the integrated and cooperative way of relevant regulations, so as to ensure the feasibility of the policy.

Designated battery, Confirmation document, Mercury thermometer & Mercury manometer