OTTAWA, Feb. 28 (UPI) -- A proposed Canadian ban on products containing mercury will mean the end of glass thermometers, officials said.
The medical thermometers contain a small amount of mercury, a potent nerve toxin linked to birth defects and brain damage in children that can present a hazard when thermometers break and the heavy metal is released into the environment, The Globe and Mail reported Monday.
The proposed rules would also prohibit mercury-containing batteries, thermostats, tire balancers, and mechanical switches used in freezers, washing machines and bilge pumps, the newspaper said.
"These proposed regulations would eliminate about 4 1/2 tons of mercury in products currently entering the Canadian marketplace each year," Environment Minister Peter Kent said in a statement.
"It is the first time that the government of Canada is broadly regulating mercury found in manufactured products."
Compact-fluorescent light bulbs, which contain a tiny amount of mercury, would be exempt from the ban because their use reduces overall levels in the environment by easing demand on coal-fired plants, one of the country's largest sources of mercury emissions, the government said.
