Source:
ReutersEU bans mercury in barometers, thermometersTue Jul 10, 2007 9:14AM EDT
By Huw Jones
STRASBOURG, France (Reuters) - Tapping a barometer
to check the weather may become a thing of the past
after the European Parliament on Tuesday adopted new
rules to scrap the use of mercury and protect the
environment.
The European Union assembly agreed to ban the sale of
non-electrical instruments containing the toxic heavy
metal, such as thermometers for taking people's
temperatures at home.
The ban, already endorsed by EU states, will apply to
new devices only. Existing instruments or antiques can
still be repaired or bought and sold second-hand.
Measuring devices containing mercury may be imported
if they are more than 50 years old and therefore
classified as antiques. Mercury, liquid at room
temperature and pressure, has been used in instruments
for hundreds of years.
There are exemptions for the healthcare sector.
-snip-Read more:
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSL0988544920070710