An Insight of Mercury-Free Products in India

Title: An Insight of Mercury-Free Products in India
Publication Type: Research Reports
Year of Publication: 2021
Abstract:This study is an indication on the overall status of the mercury-free alternative products in India. It was found that in some of the sectors like health care and lamps, India has made considerable progress in shifting to the alternative products. However, the cost and quality of the products are the major concerns for India considering the wide diversity of the socio-economic class of people living in the country. Further information on the health hazards of mercury is low among the consumers, traders, manufacturers and the workers as well.Another important aspect of the study is that the domestic demand for mercury and mercury-free products are largely met with the import from China. Incidentally the study also reflected that with the ban on export of mercury products from China, business is getting affected particularly of health care instruments like thermometer and sphygmomanometer. Nevertheless, there are industries which are manufacturing mercury-free products in India and with suitable policy and government handholding India can become a manufacturing hub for the mercury-free products. Therefore, it’s the right time for the government to assess the current scenario and act accordingly to make it a mercury-free country and also emerge as a manufacturing hub for mercury-free products.

Suggested Readings

Moving Towards Mercury-Free Health Care: Substituting Mercury-Based Medical Devices in India – by Anu Agrawal

Moving Towards Mercury-Free Health Care: Substituting Mercury-Based Medical Devices in India – by Anu Agrawal

This document tries to present the efforts and initiatives taken so far by people fighting against the use of mercury in the Health Care Settings. A lot has happened after a small report was released which documented the yearly release of this toxic heavy metal from health facilities using mercury based instruments and products. Many Hospitals turned mercury free voluntarily and a few more shifted recently after the Delhi government order to phase out the use of mercury in the hospitals. To be mercury-free might be a voluntary decision for a few more years, but as environmental laws and quality accreditations become stricter this might be a mandatory requirement soon. Thus it is time for all of us to do some introspection and start changing. The experiences of people who have changed have been documented in the report and a small chronicle of what has happened on the mercury front has been profiled to help people in their journey to go “mercury free”.

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