Singapore publishes mercury-related regulations to ensure implementation of Minamata Convention 
On December 29, 2017, Environmental Protection and Management Act (Amendment of Second Schedule) (No.4) Order 2017 (hereinafter referred to as the Order) was published in Singapore. The Order comes into operation on January 1, 2020. The Order serves as a domestic law to comply with Minamata Convention on Mercury, and adds the following new items to second schedule, which defines the regulatory targets of the Environmental Protection and Management Act.
- Mercury in cold cathode fluorescent lamps and external electrode fluorescent lamps used for electronic displays
- Mercury in fluorescent lamps (primarily for general lighting purposes)
- Mercury in high pressure mercury vapour lamps (primarily for general lighting purposes)
- Mercury in switches and relays
- Mercury in the following non‑electronic measuring devices
- Barometers
- Hygrometers
- Manometers
- Thermometers
- Sphygmomanometers
The Order also provides exemptions for each of the above items to be added. For example, the exempted uses for “mercury in non‑electronic measuring devices” are “non‑electronic measuring devices installed in large-scale equipment or those used for high precision measurement, where no suitable mercury‑free alternative is available.”
The Order can be downloaded from the following URL.
https://sso.agc.gov.sg/SL-Supp/S784-2017/Published/20171229?DocDate=20171229&ViewType=Pdf&_=20171229175558
