HELCOM RECOMMENDATION 23/4

Superseding HELCOM Recommendation 18/5

Adopted 6 March 2002 having regard to Article 20, Paragraph 1 b) of the Helsinki Convention

MEASURES AIMED AT THE REDUCTION OF MERCURY POLLUTION RESULTING FROM LIGHT SOURCES AND ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT

THE COMMISSION,

RECALLING Article 5 of the Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area, 1992 (Helsinki Convention), in which the Contracting Parties undertake to prevent and eliminate pollution of the Baltic Sea Area caused by harmful substances from all sources, according to the provisions of this Convention and, to this end, to implement the procedures and measures of Annex I,

RECALLING ALSO that Annex I of the 1992 Helsinki Convention defines heavy metals as harmful substances for the purposes of Article 5 of the Convention,

RECALLING FURTHER the Ministerial Communiqué 1998, calling to implement the HELCOM Recommendation 19/5 on the HELCOM Objective with regard to Hazardous Substances, which is to prevent pollution of the Convention Area by continuously reducing discharges, emissions and losses of hazardous substances, with the ultimate aim of concentrations in the environment near background values for naturally occurring substances and close to zero for man-made synthetic substances, until 2020,

RECOGNISING the relative importance of light sources and electrical equipment as the source of pollution by mercury, and the fact that mercury free lamps are available,

BEING MINDFUL of the pollution caused by emission of mercury resulting from used light sources and electrical equipment which jeopardise human life and marine biota,

RECOMMENDS to the Governments of the Contracting Parties to the Helsinki Convention that:

a)   mercury-containing light sources should be substituted by energy-efficient mercury-free light sources as soon as technically and economically feasible;

b)    where energy-efficient mercury-free alternatives are not available

      i)    light sources should be replaced as soon as possible with low-mercury-containing alternatives complying to following limit values;

Limit values of mercury content in mercury containing standard products for general lighting applications

*⁾ values based on minimum sample of ten lamps. Mercury content shall be tested by described in the Appendix of the requirements for the EU Eco label for light bulbs

     (ii) measures should be taken to minimize the use of mercury in such applications;

c) mercury-containing electrical equipment should be substituted by mercury-free-equipment;

d) where alternative mercury-free equipment is not available measures should be taken to minimize the use of mercury in such applications;

e) measures should be taken to facilitate the organization of an effective collection and recovery system;

f) development of mercury-free alternatives should be supported by ECO-labelling,

RECOMMENDS FURTHER that the action taken by Contracting Parties in accordance with this Recommendation should be reported to the Commission in the time - limits fixed for subsequent reporting rounds,

DECIDES ALSO that the target limit values for mercury content in specific light sources referred to in paragraph b (i) should be reconsidered in 2004.