Health Care Without Harm and the World Health Organization launched a global partnership to substitute mercury-based medical devices with safer, accurate and affordable alternatives. This initiative aims to replace 70 percent of all mercury thermometers and blood pressure devices around the world in the next 10 years. Such action will significantly reduce the threat posed by mercury spills to patient and worker health, as well as the global environment.

The announcement came during the opening of the South Asian Conference on Alternatives to Mercury in Health Care on December 5, 2008 in New Delhi. Health care leaders, government officials, NGOs and private sector participants from around the world can join forces in support of mercury elimination in health care. You can join via the Partnership website, www.mercuryfreehealthcare.org.

This initiative compliments the continued work of many countries to institute alternatives to mercury-based medical devices. The European Union and Taiwan have already banned mercury thermometer, while the Philippines has mandated a phase-out of all mercury medical devices over the next two years. Hundreds of hospitals in Latin America are moving toward alternatives.

Past EU-based Mercury-reduction initiatives

Health Care Without Harm and the Health and Environment Alliance partnered to:

• launch the Stay Healthy, Stop Mercury campaign
• produce a full report entitled “Halting the Child Brain Drain” and shorter fact sheets on mercury and health, available in up to 10 languages
• call for complete ban on mercury-containing products, in light of the devastating neurotoxic effects that mercury can have on our children

More information on mercury and EU developments can be viewed at the following websites:

• Health Care Without Harm Europe - Mercury
• European Environmental Bureau (EEB)
• Zero Mercury Working Group