WEBINAR - Mercury-added medical measuring devices: tools and implementation

The Global Mercury Partnership and its Area of work on mercury in products organized, in cooperation with World Health Organization (WHO), on 13 October 2020 a webinar on mercury-containing medical devices. 

Moderated by the Global Mercury Partnership Secretariat, this webinar had the following objectives:

• Share available information, guidance and knowledge on sphygmomanometers and thermometers with a focus on import, export and production aspects;
• Discuss challenges faced by countries and other stakeholders in the phasing-out of medical devices;
• Encourage experience-exchange, share best practices and provide relevant support to stakeholders for achieving a sustainable phase out of these devices.

The event featured presentations by the following panelists:

• Mr. Tom Groeneveld, US Environmental Protection Agency, Coordinator of the Partnership Area on Mercury in Products
• Ms. Marianne Bailey, Programme Officer at the Minamata Secretariat, UNEP
• Ms. Adriana Velazquez Berumen and Ms. Maggie Montgomery from the World Health Organization

The webinar was attended by more than 100 participants.

Useful resources:

Zero Mercury Guide for phasing out Mercury added Products English / French / Spanish

Zero mercury general product page

UNEP Global Mercury Partnership: Products Partnership area webpage

Developing national strategies for phasing out mercury-containing thermometers and sphygmomanometers in health care, including in the context of the Minamata Convention on Mercury: Key Considerations and Step-by-Step Guidance, WHO 2015
English / French / Spanish

WHO technical specifications for automated non-invasive blood pressure measuring devices with cuff, WHO, 2020 English

Decommissioning medical devices, WHO, 2019 English

Safe management of wastes from health-care activities, 2nd ed., WHO, 2014
English / Persian