Mercury and its Compounds

China MEE Invites Information on Minamata Convention Dental Amalgam Ban After 2034

China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment has launched a data call on dental amalgam and other mercury‑added products to assess the impact of a Minamata Convention amendment that would ban production and trade of dental amalgam after 2034. Manufacturers and users of dental amalgam in China should evaluate their exposure, consider alternatives, and engage ahead of the 31 May 2026 information deadline as this assessment will shape China’s future regulatory stance on mercury in dental products.

11 May 2026, 11:36mee.gov.cnChina

EU Commission Confirms No Review of Expired Mercury Lamp Phase-Out Dates

In May 2026 the European Commission confirmed, in an answer to a European Parliament question, that it will not revisit the expired phase-out dates for importing, exporting and manufacturing mercury-containing general lighting lamps under the RoHS Directive and the revised EU Mercury Regulation. This closes the door to deadline extensions and reinforces that lighting and electronics manufacturers must complete phase-out and redesign plans based on the existing RoHS exemption expiries and the linked mercury product bans.

9 May 2026, 19:00europarl.europa.euEuropean Union

WHO Behavioural Insights Toolkit Helps Countries Address Harmful Skin‑Lightening Practices

In May 2026 the World Health Organization highlighted a behavioural insights toolkit to help countries address harmful skin-lightening practices and support elimination of mercury-containing cosmetics. The toolkit signals stronger global expectations that regulators and health authorities will tighten controls on hazardous ingredients in skin-lightening products and design behaviour-change policies aligned with the Minamata Convention.

8 May 2026, 06:41who.intGlobal

Minnesota Senate Finance Committee Considers Battery Stewardship Amendment to SF 4059

Minnesota’s Senate Finance Committee is considering an omnibus finance amendment that would create a statewide battery stewardship program, requiring producers of most small and medium batteries (including those in products) to join and fund a collection and recycling system from 2027, with disposal bans, sales restrictions, and labelling requirements applying from 2029. If enacted, this would impose new extended producer responsibility, labelling duties, and mercury‑related sales bans affecting battery and battery‑containing product manufacturers, importers, and retailers in Minnesota, requiring early planning for product design, take‑back logistics, and compliance budgeting.

7 May 2026, 19:24assets.senate.mnUnited States

EU Council Mandate to Amend Carcinogens Directive OELs for Cobalt, PAHs, Isoprene and 1,4-Dioxane

In May 2026 the EU Council tabled its mandate on a Directive amending the Carcinogens, Mutagens and Reprotoxic Substances at Work Directive to introduce binding EU-wide occupational exposure limits for cobalt, PAH mixtures, isoprene and 1,4-dioxane and to extend coverage to welding fumes and hazardous medicinal products. If adopted broadly as drafted, these changes will tighten exposure controls for metals, chemical and healthcare workplaces, requiring earlier investment in monitoring, engineering controls, PPE programmes and worker training ahead of six-year transitional periods for some limits.

7 May 2026, 19:17eur-lex.europa.euEuropean Union

Taiwan MOENV Adds Methoxychlor, Dechlorane and UV-328 to Toxic Chemicals List and Tightens Mercury and Tetrachloroethylene Controls

Taiwan’s Ministry of Environment has formally amended its toxic chemical substances regulation to add three POPs and tighten controls on mercury and tetrachloroethylene, with the changes taking effect on 1 July 2026. Companies manufacturing, importing, or using these substances in Taiwan must prepare now for new bans, concentration limits, and permitting requirements, factoring in only a limited transition period for existing operators.

30 Apr 2026, 09:00enews.moenv.gov.twTaiwan

Minnesota S.F. 5211 Proposes Battery And Electronics Stewardship And Mercury-In-Batteries Ban

Minnesota S.F. 5211 is an omnibus environment and natural resources bill that would create producer-funded stewardship schemes for batteries and covered electronic products, introduce disposal bans and labelling requirements, and tighten rules on mercury- and lead-containing batteries alongside broader hazardous materials and spill-preparedness reforms from 2026 onward. If enacted, manufacturers and retailers of batteries and electronics would face new obligations to join approved stewardship plans, finance free statewide collection and recycling, redesign rechargeable products and labelling by 2028–2030, and manage transition risks from the phase-out of mercury-containing batteries and stricter take-back rules for lead-acid batteries.

28 Apr 2026, 16:22revisor.mn.govUnited States

Singapore Phases Out Six Mercury-Added Fluorescent Lamp Categories

Singapore’s environment regulator has classified six categories of mercury-containing fluorescent lamps as hazardous substances under the Environmental Protection and Management Act, triggering phased bans on their import, export and manufacture from 1 January 2027 and 1 January 2028. Lighting manufacturers, importers and major users must accelerate the shift to mercury-free alternatives, update HS code declarations, and plan inventory carefully to avoid stranded stock once the phase-out dates take effect.

24 Apr 2026, 09:47nea.gov.sgSingapore

Basel Convention OEWG‑15 Consults On Updated Technical Guidelines For POP, E‑Waste, Battery, Tyre And Mercury Wastes

In March 2026 the Basel Convention’s Open-ended Working Group launched consultations on a broad package of updated technical guidelines for POP wastes, e-waste, batteries, tyres, mercury wastes and related hazardous waste streams ahead of its June 2026 meeting. These non-binding but influential texts will shape future expectations for classification, recycling and disposal under the Basel regime, so organisations handling such wastes should monitor OEWG-15 outcomes and consider contributing comments by 31 July 2026 through their national delegations.

24 Apr 2026, 09:46docs.un.orgGlobal

Minnesota Senate Committee Advances Battery Stewardship Program and Mercury-In-Batteries Ban

In April 2026 the Minnesota Senate Environment Committee advanced omnibus bill SF 4214 with a detailed battery stewardship and mercury‑in‑batteries package that would require producers to fund a free statewide collection and recycling network for portable batteries and ban most mercury‑containing consumer batteries from July 2026. If enacted, manufacturers and importers placing batteries and battery‑equipped products on the Minnesota market would need to join a producer responsibility organisation, redesign sales and labelling practices, and plan now for new disposal bans and collection‑network performance standards that bite between 2027 and 2029.

23 Apr 2026, 08:20senate.mnUnited States

California Assembly Amends And Re-Refers Infant Formula Heavy-Metals Testing Bill AB 2302

In April 2026, the California Assembly amended AB 2302 on infant formula heavy-metals testing and consumer disclosure and advanced it to the Appropriations Committee, phasing brand-owner website and QR-code labelling obligations in from 1 January 2028 while retaining strict monthly testing duties for manufacturers. Infant formula manufacturers and brand owners selling into California should plan for accredited monthly testing of each product line and build systems, labels, and online disclosures to publish batch-level aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury results in time for the 2028 start date.

22 Apr 2026, 13:58leginfo.legislature.ca.govUnited States

UNEP Opens Registration for 2026 Global Interlaboratory Assessment on POPs and Mercury

UNEP has opened registration for the 2026 Fifth Global Interlaboratory Assessment on POPs and mercury under its Global Chemicals Monitoring Programme, with laboratories worldwide invited to register by 15 May 2026. The exercise will generate harmonised monitoring data to support effectiveness evaluations of the Stockholm and Minamata Conventions and help laboratories benchmark and improve their analytical performance for POPs and mercury.

22 Apr 2026, 12:23forms.cloud.microsoftGlobal

Illinois DPH Issues Updated Sport Fish Consumption Advisories

In April 2026 Illinois public health authorities tightened sport fish consumption advisories across multiple waterways based on stricter PFOS guidelines and ongoing methylmercury concerns. This reinforces growing regulatory and public health pressure around PFAS and mercury contamination in regional waters, signalling more conservative exposure guidance and potential scrutiny of upstream dischargers and remediation needs.

21 Apr 2026, 15:32dph.illinois.govUnited States

Wisconsin DNR Seeks Comment On Draft 2025 Remedial Action Plan For St. Louis River Area Of Concern

Wisconsin and Minnesota agencies have released a draft 2025 Remedial Action Plan for the St. Louis River Area of Concern and opened public comments through 26 April 2026. The plan is non-regulatory but signals ongoing expectations around sediment remediation, habitat restoration, dredging controls and water-quality monitoring that affected operators and municipalities will need to factor into long-term project planning and permitting.

17 Apr 2026, 19:02dnr.wisconsin.govUnited States

Ministry of Economy of Ukraine Publishes Environmental and Social Commitment Plan for Hazardous Waste Project (HWM-PDU)

Ukraine’s Ministry of Economy has published the Environmental and Social Commitment Plan for the GEF- and World Bank-supported Hazardous Waste Management and Policy Development Project (HWM-PDU), formally setting out government obligations on environmental and social risk management. This signals the start of implementation for a major hazardous waste capacity-building programme focused on PCBs, mercury and asbestos, so industrial operators involved in hazardous waste generation and treatment in Ukraine should anticipate tighter EU-aligned controls, permitting expectations, and infrastructure investments over the coming years.

16 Apr 2026, 15:53me.gov.uaUkraine

Wisconsin Legislature Fails to Pass AB1071 on Toxic Heavy Metals in Baby Food

In March 2026, the Wisconsin Legislature failed to pass AB1071, a bill that would have required baby food manufacturers to disclose testing for arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury via QR code labels and detailed website postings. This outcome leaves current practice unchanged in Wisconsin but underscores growing legislative scrutiny of toxic heavy metals in infant nutrition that food and formula producers should continue to monitor for future policy moves.

16 Apr 2026, 15:35docs.legis.wisconsin.govUnited States

South Korea Issues Urgent Re-Tender for Mercury Study in Fish Upstream of Andongho

In April 2026 South Korea’s Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy urgently reissued a KRW 500 million, 18‑month tender to investigate the sources of mercury contamination in fish upstream of the Andongho reservoir. This research contract signals heightened regulatory scrutiny of mercury in Korean freshwater ecosystems and may shape future water quality standards, fish consumption guidance, and enforcement priorities for activities affecting the Andongho catchment.

16 Apr 2026, 13:57mcee.go.krSouth Korea

California AB 2302: Heavy Metal Testing And Digital Labelling For Infant Formula

California’s AB 2302 has advanced in the Assembly and would require monthly testing and digital consumer disclosure of aluminium, arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury in all infant formula sold or distributed in the state. If enacted, infant formula manufacturers and brand owners would need to upgrade laboratory programmes, data systems, and QR code labelling to demonstrate control of heavy metals in California-bound products and align with evolving FDA action levels.

16 Apr 2026, 13:39leginfo.legislature.ca.govUnited States

Minnesota Bill SF 4214 Committee Amendment Proposes Statewide Battery Stewardship Scheme

A Minnesota Senate committee has introduced a comprehensive delete-all amendment to SF 4214 that would create a statewide producer-funded battery stewardship scheme, ban disposal of covered batteries in solid waste, and tie market access for batteries and battery-containing products to participation in approved collection and recycling programmes over a 2026–2029 phase-in. If enacted, battery and equipment manufacturers, importers, online marketplaces, and waste programmes serving Minnesota would need to plan for new labelling, take-back, reporting, and funding obligations, plus tightened mercury controls in batteries and growing scrutiny of how batteries move through the state’s waste system.

16 Apr 2026, 11:01assets.senate.mnUnited States

Europol and Dutch ILT Coordinate Global Crackdown on Environmental Crime and Waste Trafficking

In March 2026 Europol and the Dutch ILT-IOD announced the results of Custos Viridis, a year-long global enforcement operation that carried out over 1 000 inspections and led to 337 arrests for environmental crime and waste trafficking. The scale and composition of the seizures – hazardous waste streams, F-gases, pesticides and mercury across 71 countries – signal sharply increased cross-border scrutiny of illegal waste shipments and polluting chemicals, raising enforcement risk for waste, refrigeration and agrochemical supply chains.

15 Apr 2026, 08:02europol.europa.euNetherlandsEuropean UnionGlobal