World Health Organization Country Office for India (WHO India) hosted the inception meeting of the Project on Phasing Out Mercury-Measuring Services from Indian Healthcare on 17 December 2024, followed by the National Project Steering Committee meeting on 18 December 2024 in New Delhi. The meetings were attended by key stakeholders, including Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Central Drugs Standards Control Organisation, National Accreditation Board for Hospitals, Bureau of Indian Standards, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Safdarjung Hospital, NGOs, manufacturers, Central Pollution Control Board, WHO, and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Global Environment Facility and Global Mercury Partnership.
Mercury is highly toxic to humans and ecosystems and is classified as one of the top 10 chemicals or groups of chemicals of major public health concern by WHO. Exposure to mercury can adversely impacts the nervous, digestive and immune systems, lungs, and kidneys, with children being particularly vulnerable. Neurological symptoms include intellectual disability, seizures, vision and hearing loss, delayed development, language disorders and memory loss.
When released in the environment, elemental mercury can be converted to the more bioavailable methylmercury by microorganisms present in water and soil. Methylmercury accumulates in the muscle tissue and this bioaccumulation in organism leads to biomagnification in the food chain. Unborn children and nursing infants are the worst affected.
Damaged mercury thermometers and sphygmomanometers, and poor waste management practices are the leading cause for this toxic metal to be released in the environment. A 2004 study in Canada found more than 2 tonnes of mercury releases annually from thermometers alone. A 2011 study from India estimated that 8 tonnes of mercury is released annually in the country, with 69% coming from poorly disposed sphygmomanometers and the rest from thermometers.
The Minamata Convention to control mercury releases into the environment entered into force on 16 August 2017 and was ratified by India in June 2018. The manufacture, import and export of sphygmomanometers and thermometers had a phase-out date of 2020, but India sought an exemption until 2025.
To address this public health menace and assist India in meeting its commitment to the treaty, WHO India is supporting MoHFW and MoEFCC through a project funded through GEF in partnership with UNEP. The project includes developing a mercury phase-out strategy, demonstration for substitution for mercury-free medical devices, healthcare waste management and awareness generation.
