Mercury-containing products, including but not limited to the following: Lamps, Batteries, Dental Amalgam, Thermostats, Switches and relays, Thermometers, Other Measuring Devices, Tire Balancers (ICS: 11.060, 17.020, 17.200, 29.120, 29.140, 29.220, 43.040)

Proposed Regulations amending the Products Containing Mercury Regulations; (49 page(s), in English), (49 page(s), in French)

The proposed Regulations amending the Products Containing Mercury Regulations (the proposed Amendments) would make changes to the Products Containing Mercury Regulations (the Regulations) to align with the requirements under the Minamata Convention on Mercury. The Regulations, which came into force in 2015, prohibit the manufacture, import and sale of products containing mercury, with some exemptions for essential products which have no viable alternatives (for example lamps, certain health, safety and research applications and dental amalgam).

The proposed Amendments would:

·         Lower the allowable mercury content limits of three lamp products that are exempt from the general mercury prohibition, including straight fluorescent lamps for general lighting purposes, cold cathode fluorescent lamps, and external electrode fluorescent lamps;

·         Add prohibition dates for certain mercury-containing products and for replacement lamps after a transitionary period;

·         Remove other exemptions for products no longer in use in Canada and products whose exemption period has expired.

Other amendments to the Regulations are proposed to clarify some provisions of the regulatory text, such as those related to labelling, testing, reporting, and recordkeeping.