08212006 美國多州加強監管含汞產品 (下)

美國多州加強監管含汞產品(下)

美國越來越多州在監管含汞產品方面相當積極。眾所皆知，汞是一種有毒重金屬，會在環境、動物及人體內累積。由於汞經常被廣泛使用，其後又釋放到環境中，因此引起很大關注，在美國東北部尤甚。因此，許多州已針對含汞產品訂立標籤規定，並禁止銷售若干類含汞產品。以下概述包括：馬里蘭州、麻薩諸塞州、明尼蘇達州、紐約州、羅德島州、佛蒙特州以及華盛頓州等各大州對含汞產品的監管工作。

◎ 馬里蘭州
馬里蘭州禁售汞探熱計，經醫生處方提供的除外。禁令並不適用於供醫院或專業醫療服務機構使用的探熱計，以及裝有含汞鈕型電池的數碼溫度計。此外，含汞產品須依照州法例加上標籤。

◎ 麻薩諸塞州
麻薩諸塞州禁止銷售及分發汞探熱計，持牌醫生處方或認為有醫學需要的情況除外。禁令並不適用於使用含汞鈕型電池的數碼溫度計。該州正考慮制訂更全面的含汞產品監管法例。

◎ 明尼蘇達州
明尼蘇達州規定下列含汞產品須依照州法例加上標籤：(1)恆溫器或溫度計；(2)個別或作為產品(汽車除外)部件銷售的電動開關掣；(3)電器；(4)醫學或科學工具；(5)電動繼電器或其他電動裝置。此外，含汞恆溫器生產商必須向買家及消費者提供充足的資訊，以確保從產品中移除的汞被循環再用或得到適當處理。含汞繼電器生產商須承擔回收處理該等產品的費用。

此外，明尼蘇達州禁止銷售和分發下列含汞產品：
• 玩具及遊戲。
• 內有含汞電動開關掣的服裝。
• 奶品檢壓計。
• 溫度計，以下產品除外：(1)裝有含汞電池的電子溫度計(如電池符合州法例規定)；(2)用於食
品研發或食品加工的溫度計；(3)作為畜牧氣候控制系統或工業量度系統部件的溫度計；(4)用來測定其他溫度計的溫度計。
• 汞含量佔重量超過0.025%的鹼錳電池，以及汞含量超過25毫克的鈕型非充電池。
• 裝有汞化氧電極的乾電池。

◎ 紐約州
紐約州規定，在該州銷售的含汞消費品，生產商須依照州法例加上標籤，顯示產品含汞。該州並禁止銷售或分發下列含汞產品：
• 奇趣消費品。
• 汞探熱計，醫生處方的除外。
• 氣壓計，食道擴張器、探管或胃腸管，流速計，濕度計及高溫計等，除非這些產品是於2006
年1月1日以前用來替換一件使用中及體積較大的產品內的同類產品。禁令不適用於聯邦法例規定使用產品的銷售，或於2005年12月31日前製造的產品的轉售。

該州由2007年1月1日起禁售汞液體比重計及檢壓計，2008年1月1日起禁售汞開關掣及繼電器(不論是個別出售或作為產品部件出售)。

◎ 羅德島州
生產商須預先以書面通知州部門，才可於羅德島州銷售、使用或分發含汞產品。該州現時禁售含汞奇趣產品及汞探熱計，經醫生處方的除外。禁令不適用於使用含汞鈕型電池的溫度計。

含汞產品的汞含量如超越以下標準者，不得在該州銷售、使用或分發：
• 由2006年1月1日起，含汞組裝產品的上限為1克，含汞配方產品為百萬分之二百五十；
• 由2007年7月1日起，含汞組裝產品的上限為100毫克，含汞配方產品為百萬分之五十；
• 由2009年7月1日起，含汞組裝產品的上限為10毫克，含汞配方產品為百萬分之十。

州法例規定生產商須按照若干準則在含汞產品加上標籤。此外，生產商如欲銷售含汞產品，須就有關產品提交方便及可行的回收計劃，並獲當局審批通過。這項規定並不適用於含汞鈕型電池或含汞燈具(所含汞體只來自含汞鈕型電池或含汞燈頭)的回收。

◎ 佛蒙特州
由2006年7月1日起，生產商須遵守若干通知程序，才可於佛蒙特州銷售或分發含汞產品。

該州由2006年1月1日起禁售奶品檢壓計。含汞奇趣產品、汞探熱計及含汞恆溫器由2006年7月1日起禁售。

由2007年1月1日起，該州禁售氣壓計，食道擴張器、探管或胃腸管，流速計，液體比重計，濕度計，檢壓計，高溫計，血壓計，溫度計，含汞霓虹燈，個別或作為產品部件銷售的汞開關掣或繼電器等。

2007年7月1日後，除非含汞產品及其包裝已依照州法例加上標籤，否則不得於佛蒙特州銷售或分發。本規定不適用於含汞鈕型電池、裝有含汞鈕型電池的產品、攝影膠片或這些產品的包裝。

◎ 華盛頓州
由2006年1月1日起，華盛頓州法例禁止銷售或分發含汞溫度計、血壓計、奇趣產品及裝有汞開關掣的新造汽車。
下列產品獲得豁免：
• 使用含汞鈕型電池的電子溫度計。
• 用於食品研發或食品加工的溫度計。
• 作為畜牧氣候控制系統或工業量度系統部件的溫度計。
• 用來測定其他溫度計、檢壓計或設備的溫度計。
• 醫生處方提供的溫度計。
• 售予醫院或醫院轄下保健設施(須符合若干條件)的溫度計或檢壓計。

生產商除非參與回收再造計劃，否則不得銷售商用及家用溫度計。於2003年11月20日後製造的含汞螢光燈及其包裝，須加上適當標籤。本規定不適用於裝有含汞燈頭的產品。


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資料來源: 《香港貿發網：美國商情快訊》
http://www.tdctrade.com/alert/us0615.htm


States step up regulatory efforts on Mercury-Added products (2)

As is widely known, a growing number of environmentally-conscious U.S. states have enacted or are seriously considering legislative action to both establish mandatory recycling programmes for electrical and electronic equipment and regulate the use of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic devices.

A number of states have also been fairly active in the regulation of mercury-added products, another area of growing concern where the federal government has so far failed to act. Mercury is a toxic heavy metal with a propensity to persist and accumulate in the environment, animals and humans. Its widespread use and subsequent release into the environment has raised considerable environmental and health concerns, particularly in the north-eastern region of the United States. As a result, several states have established labelling requirements for mercury-added products and banned the sale of certain mercury-added items, including thermometers, thermostats and certain measuring apparatus, switches and relays. An overview of major state including Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington regulatory efforts on mercury-added products is provided below.

◎ Maryland
Maryland bans the sale and distribution of mercury fever thermometers, except by prescription. This prohibition does not apply to fever thermometers sold or provided for use in hospitals or other areas where professionals provide medical services. The prohibition also does not apply to digital thermometers containing mercury-added button cell batteries.

Mercury-added products are required to be labelled in accordance with state requirements.

◎ Massachusetts
The sale and distribution of mercury fever thermometers is banned, except in the case of a medical necessity as determined by a licensed physician or by prescription. This ban does not apply to digital thermometers using mercury-added button cell batteries. More comprehensive regulations for mercury-added products are currently being considered by the Massachusetts legislature.

◎ Minnesota
Minnesota requires the following mercury-added products to be labelled in accordance with state regulations: (i) thermostats or thermometers; (ii) electric switches sold individually or as part of another product, other than a motor vehicle; (iii) appliances; (iv) medical or scientific instruments; and (v) electric relays or other electrical devices. In addition, manufacturers of mercury-added thermostats must provide incentives and sufficient information to purchasers and consumers to ensure that mercury in thermostats being removed from service is reused or recycled or otherwise managed. Manufacturers of mercury-added displacement relays are responsible for the costs of collecting and managing those relays to ensure that they do not become part of the solid waste stream.

Furthermore, Minnesota bans the sale and distribution of the following mercury-added products.

• Toys and games.
• Apparel that contains an electric mercury-added switch.
• Dairy manometers.
• Thermometers, with the exception of: (i) electronic thermometers with a battery containing mercury if the
battery is in compliance with state regulations; (ii) thermometers used for food research and development or food processing; (iii) thermometers that are a component of an animal agriculture climate control system or industrial measurement system until such time as the system is replaced or a non-mercury component for the system is available; or (iv) thermometers used for calibration of other thermometers, apparatus or equipment, unless a non-mercury calibration standard is approved for the application by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
• Alkaline manganese batteries with more than 0.025% mercury by weight, unless exempted, as well as button
cell non-rechargeable batteries containing more than 25 milligrams of mercury.
• Dry cell batteries containing a mercuric oxide electrode, unless exempted.

◎ New York
Like several other states, New York requires mercury-added consumer products sold or offered for sale in the state to be labelled by the manufacturer in accordance with state requirements to indicate the presence of mercury in the product. New York also prohibits the sale or distribution of the following mercury-added products.

• Novelty consumer products.
• Mercury fever thermometers, except by medical prescription.
• Barometers, esophageal dilators, bougie tubes/gastrointestinal tubes, flow meters, hygrometers/psychometers
and pyrometers, unless these products are used to replace a product that is a component in a larger product in use prior to 1 January 2006. This prohibition does not apply to the sale of federally required products or the resale of products manufactured before 31 December 2005.

The sale of mercury hydrometers and manometers will be banned in the state from 1 January 2007 and the sale of mercury switches and relays, either individually or as a product component, will be prohibited from 1 January 2008. The replacement, resale and federal exemptions described above will also apply to these products.

◎ Rhode Island
Mercury-added products may not be offered for final sale or use or distributed for promotional purposes in Rhode Island without prior notification in writing by the manufacturer of the product to state authorities or IMERC. Rhode Island currently enforces a ban on mercury-added novelties and mercury fever thermometers, except by prescription. The restriction on thermometers does not apply to digital thermometers utilising mercury-added button cell batteries.
No mercury-added product may be offered for final sale or use or distributed for promotional purposes in Rhode Island if the mercury content of the product exceeds:

• one gram for mercury-added fabricated products or 250 parts per million for mercury-added formulated
products, effective 1 January 2006;
• 100 milligrams for mercury-added fabricated products or 50 parts per million for mercury-added formulated
products, effective 1 July 2007; and
• 10 milligrams for mercury-added fabricated products or 10 parts per million for mercury-added formulated
products, effective 1 July 2009.

State regulations require manufacturers to label mercury-added products in accordance with certain parameters. Furthermore, manufacturers may not sell mercury-added products in the state unless they have implemented an approved system, either on their own or in concert with others, for the convenient and accessible collection of such products when the consumer is finished with them. This requirement does not apply to the collection of mercury-added button cell batteries or mercury-added lamps or products where the only mercury contained in the product comes from a mercury-added button cell battery or a mercury-added lamp.

◎ Vermont
Effective 1 July 2006, no mercury-added product may be offered for final sale, sold at a final sale or distributed in Vermont unless the manufacturer complies with certain notification procedures.

The state banned the sale of mercury dairy manometers on 1 January 2006. Excluded from this prohibition are mercury dairy manometers purchased by a licensed dairy service provider to calibrate customers' manometers and other milking equipment. Mercury-added novelties (with the exception of novelties incorporating one or more button cell batteries or one or more mercury-added lamps as their only mercury-added components), mercury fever thermometers and mercury-containing thermostats for the control of space heating or cooling were banned effective 1 July 2006.

A ban on the following mercury-added products will enter into force 1 January 2007.
• Barometers.
• Esophageal dilators, bougie tubes or gastrointestinal tubes.
• Flow meters.
• Hydrometers.
• Hygrometers or psychometers.
• Non-dairy manometers.
• Pyrometers.
• Sphygmomanometers.
• Thermometers that contain elemental mercury, other than mercury fever thermometers.
• Mercury-added neon type signs or lamps.
• Mercury switches or relays sold individually or as a product component.

Finally, no mercury-added product may be offered for final sale, sold at a final sale or distributed in Vermont after 1 July 2007 unless both the product and its packaging are labelled in accordance with state regulations. This requirement will not apply to mercury-added button cell batteries, products containing mercury-added button cell batteries, photographic film or the packaging of these products.

◎ Washington
Effective 1 January 2006, state law prohibits the sale or distribution of mercury-added thermometers, mercury-added manometers used to measure blood pressure, mercury-added novelties and newly manufactured cars containing mercury switches.

The following items are exempted from the ban.

• Electronic thermometers with a button cell battery containing mercury.
• Thermometers used for food research and development or food processing.
• Thermometers that are a component of an animal agriculture climate control system or industrial
measurement system or for veterinary medicine until such a time as the system is replaced or a non-mercury component for the system or application is available.
• Thermometers or manometers used for calibration of other thermometers, manometers, apparatus or
equipment, unless a non-mercury calibration standard is approved for the application by the NIST.
• Thermometers provided by medical prescription.
• Thermometers or manometers sold or distributed to a hospital or a health care facility controlled by a hospital,
provided the hospital meets certain conditions.

Commercial and residential thermostats are banned from sale in the state unless the manufacturer participates in a recovery/recycling programme. Washington also requires all mercury-added fluorescent lamps manufactured after 20 November 2003 and their packaging to be labelled appropriately. This requirement does not apply to products containing mercury-added lamps.

Detailed information, please refer to http://www.tdctrade.com/alert/us0615.htm