Home ›› 24 Nov 2021 ›› News
Bangladesh is on the way to phase out mercury-containing products, a study by Environment and Social Development Organisation (ESDO) has said.
It has also found that Bangladesh has available alternatives to mercury products.
ESDO at a programme on Monday unveiled the findings of the study titled “Mercury added products and available alternatives in Bangladesh”.
Experts at the event suggested ratifying the Minamata Convention on Mercury, which prohibits the production, import, and export of mercury products.
China recently eliminated some mercury-containing products, including switches, relays, pesticides, biotic pesticides, and topical antiseptics. This increased the supply of mercury-free products to Bangladesh.
The ESDO study said mercury-free products are becoming dominant in Bangladesh as the availability of LED, mercury-free thermometers and sphygmomanometers, alkaline batteries, switches, and relays is high.
Mercury is a toxic and persistent element, and has a serious impact on human health and the environment.
It is used in electronic devices, medical equipment, energy bulbs, paints, batteries and dental amalgams, laboratory equipment, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and jewellery items.
ESDO General Secretary Dr Shahriar Hossain told the programme Bangladesh heavily depends on China for bulbs, sphygmomanometers, thermometers and other medical equipment, batteries, and some other mercury-containing products.
He said Bangladesh was automatically on the way to phase out mercury products as China had stopped the use of mercury.
“We should ratify the 2013 Minamata Convention on Mercury as all the alternatives to mercury are available in Bangladesh. The parties in the convention agreed to phase out mercury-containing products in all forms,” he said.
The convention has 135 parties and 128 signatories. Bangladesh has been a signatory since 2013.
The ESDO study said 99 per cent of sphygmomanometers (blood pressure measuring machines) in Bangladesh are mercury-free. The findings were based on data gathered from hospitals, clinics, and the market.
The study found no mercury-containing sphygmomanometers in the market.
It found Bangladeshi people prefer LED bulbs due to their 75% less energy consumption and 25 times more durability compared to CFL bulbs. The widespread use of LED lighting has a large impact on energy savings.
Besides, the use of digital thermometers decreased during the coronavirus pandemic. At the time, people preferred mercury thermometers over digital ones because of low costs while mercury thermometer imports also increased.
But digital or mercury-free thermometers are now widely available in the country, with a demand of 83.5 per cent.
The study found that alkaline batteries are the most popular among customers and importers nowadays. They are a bit expensive compared to lithium and mercury batteries but are very popular due to their quality and eco-friendliness. They are mostly imported from China, and 1,000-10,000 batteries are sold annually.
Beauty products are a large source of mercury contamination, the study said.
Keya Khan, additional secretary of the environment ministry, said the Department of Environment had already started the process of ratifying the Minamata convention.
“We will soon arrange a consultation with the commerce ministry, the industries ministry, and the National Board of Revenue as they need to take different steps to eliminate mercury. We are hopefully ratifying the convention soon.”
She also said mercury could be eliminated by using the country’s existing rules and regulations.
Bangladesh had already undertaken the Minamata Convention Initial Assessment, she added.
