Minamata Convention on Mercury - Sector specific guidance
The Minamata Convention is an international treaty designed to protect human health and the environment from anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and mercury compounds. The Australian Government will soon be making a final decision on whether to ratify the Convention.
Ratifying the Minamata Convention means that Australia will become part of the global effort to reduce the harm to the environment and human health caused by mercury.
Since 2014, the government has proposed a wide range of options for implementing the Convention's obligations in Australia. These options have now been refined in the Ratification of the Minamata Convention on Mercury: Final Regulation Impact Statement (RIS).
The RIS estimates there will be no significant impacts for business or the community, as existing regulatory frameworks broadly align with international obligations under the Convention. The following supporting information on potential impacts to the dental and lighting sectors summarises details provided in the RIS.
Impacts for the dental industry
The Convention requires countries to phase-down the use of dental amalgam through two or more of the measures identified in Annex A, Part II of the Convention. It does not set a deadline for these measures.
Australia already complies with several measures of the Convention to phase-down the use of dental amalgam. The RIS explored whether additional measures to control dental amalgam use is required for Australia’s ratification. It found that no additional measures are needed.
This means that governments, industry, oral health professionals and patients can continue working together to phase-down the use of dental amalgam in a way that best meets community expectations and public health needs.
Dentists and others are encouraged to continue taking steps to promote the use of best environmental practices in dental facilities to reduce and prevent releases of mercury and mercury compounds into the environment.
Impacts for the lighting industry
The Convention requires the phase-out of certain mercury-containing products. This includes some types of lighting.
Annex A of the Convention restricts the manufacture, import and export of the following lighting products from 31 December 2020:
- Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) for general lighting purposes that are ≤30 watts with a mercury content exceeding 5mg per lamp burner
- Linear fluorescent lamps (LFLs) for general lighting purposes:
- Triband phosphor <60 watts with a mercury content exceeding 5mg per lamp;
- Halophosphate phosphor ≤40 watts with a mercury content exceeding 10mg per lamp
- High pressure mercury vapour lamps (HPMV) for general lighting purposes
- Mercury in cold cathode fluorescent lamps and external electrode fluorescent lamps (CCFL and EEFL) for electronic displays
- short length (≤500mm) with mercury content exceeding 3.5mg per lamp
- medium length (>500mm and ≤1500mm) with mercury content exceeding 5mg per lamp
- long length (>1500mm) with mercury content exceeding 13mg per lamp.
To allow time for owners and operators of streetlights to transition, the RIS proposes Australia seeks an extension on the import deadline for HPMV lamps. This would allow the import of HPMV lamps to Australia until 31 December 2023.
Businesses who convert HPMV streetlights to LEDs will benefit from considerable energy and carbon emissions (CO2e) savings.
Contact us
Please direct any enquiries regarding mercury or the Minamata Convention to Minamata@awe.gov.au