Mercury-containing ampoule decision from the EU: Its use is prohibited
The European Union (EU) Commission adopted rules banning the use of mercury lamps. According to the statement made by the EU Commission, mercury-containing bulbs such as flat fluorescent used in general lighting cannot be sold in the market on the grounds that they pose a threat to health and the environment.
In order to adapt to the new rules, economic actors will be given a transition period of 12 to 18 months.
In areas such as industry and medicine, in cases where sufficient alternatives to mercury-containing bulbs are not yet available, some categories of bulbs may be exempted for a while.
The EU Commission reported that such a decision was taken because there are now mercury-free and safe alternative lighting products such as LEDs in the market.
It is stated that mercury-containing bulbs can cause serious harm to health and the environment when broken.
According to the information given by the EU Commission, around 5 billion mercury-containing bulbs, mostly compact and flat fluorescent, have been introduced to the EU market so far.
