Philippines To Ban Medical Products Containing Mercury

The Philippines’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently had a consultation to examine the draft of Circular to prohibit the use, manufacture, importation/exportation, distribution, sale, and storage of medical products that contain mercury. Such products include: clinical thermometers; dental amalgam and its capsules; and blood pressure measurement devices.

As the Philippines abides by Minamata Convention, which prohibits the use of new mercury mines and suggests the phase out of existing mercury mines and products with mercury, the Philippines has included mercury, mercury compounds, and products added mercury into the chemical control order since 1997 through DAO 1997-38. The updated version of this regulation (DAO 2019-20) outlines the schedule to phase out various mercury added products in 2022 and the various types of production using mercury and mercury compound during 2018-2025.

Once the draft is approved, thermometers and sphygmomanometers containing mercury will not be allowed to circulate in the market 30 days after the Circular has entered into force; while dental amalgam capsules have a longer grace period till June 6, 2023.

p.13-14 phased out items:

https://chemical.emb.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/DAO201920MERCURY.pdf

https://www.fda.gov.ph/draft-for-comments-of-banning-of-all-mercury-containing-thermometers-sphygmomanometers-dental-amalgam-capsules-and-liquid-mercury-for-use-in-dental-restorative-purposes/