In order to advance the implementation of the project, Global Environment Facility - Demonstration of Production Phase-out of Mercury-containing Medical Thermometers and Sphygmomanometers and Promoting the Application of Mercury-free Alternatives in Medical Facilities in China, China Association for Medical Devices Industry (CAMDI), together with the Foreign Environmental Cooperation Center, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, organized experts to research manufacturers of mercury-containing medical devices from September to October 2023, with experts from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai Greenment Environmental Technology Co., Ltd. and Zhongguancun International Environmental Protection Industry Promotion Center.
During the research period, the project team investigated a total of eight manufacturers of mercury-containing medical devices in Jiangsu, Anhui, Hunan and Shandong, mainly to: understand enterprises’ production of mercury-containing thermometers and sphygmomanometers and their progress in the research and product innovation related to mercury-free alternative technologies and products, so as to ensure China’s progress in performing the Minamata Convention on Mercury (Convention) and meeting related project requirements; and conduct environmental and social risk assessments on the mercury-free technology transformation in the project’s intended demonstration enterprises.
The Kick-off Meeting of Global Environment Facility - Demonstration of Production Phase-out of Mercury-containing Medical Thermometers and Sphygmomanometers and Promoting the Application of Mercury-free Alternatives in Medical Facilities in China was held in Beijing on September 26, 2023. The project will promote China’s achievement of compliance goals through activities such as policy and regulation formulation and revision research, enterprise technology transformation demonstrations, application promotion of mercury-free products in medical institutions and capability building for environmentally sound management of mercury.
According to related requirements of the Convention, China has banned the import and export of mercury-containing thermometers and mercury-containing sphygmomanometers since January 1, 2021 and China will ban the production of mercury-containing thermometers and mercury-containing sphygmomanometers from January 1, 2026. CAMDI will pay further attention to the progress of the above demonstration project, cooperate with the work of the Foreign Environmental Cooperation Center, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, organize enterprises to participate in relevant activities, and actively promote the application and promotion of mercury-free technology in the medical device industry to achieve mercury pollution and emission reduction and mercury product substitution.
During the research period, the project team investigated a total of eight manufacturers of mercury-containing medical devices in Jiangsu, Anhui, Hunan and Shandong, mainly to: understand enterprises’ production of mercury-containing thermometers and sphygmomanometers and their progress in the research and product innovation related to mercury-free alternative technologies and products, so as to ensure China’s progress in performing the Minamata Convention on Mercury (Convention) and meeting related project requirements; and conduct environmental and social risk assessments on the mercury-free technology transformation in the project’s intended demonstration enterprises.
The Kick-off Meeting of Global Environment Facility - Demonstration of Production Phase-out of Mercury-containing Medical Thermometers and Sphygmomanometers and Promoting the Application of Mercury-free Alternatives in Medical Facilities in China was held in Beijing on September 26, 2023. The project will promote China’s achievement of compliance goals through activities such as policy and regulation formulation and revision research, enterprise technology transformation demonstrations, application promotion of mercury-free products in medical institutions and capability building for environmentally sound management of mercury.
According to related requirements of the Convention, China has banned the import and export of mercury-containing thermometers and mercury-containing sphygmomanometers since January 1, 2021 and China will ban the production of mercury-containing thermometers and mercury-containing sphygmomanometers from January 1, 2026. CAMDI will pay further attention to the progress of the above demonstration project, cooperate with the work of the Foreign Environmental Cooperation Center, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, organize enterprises to participate in relevant activities, and actively promote the application and promotion of mercury-free technology in the medical device industry to achieve mercury pollution and emission reduction and mercury product substitution.