EU - The Renewal of the RoHS Exemption for the Use of Mercury in Other Discharge Lamps for Special Purposes

​By Decision 2010/571/EU, the European Commission granted an exemption for the use of mercury in other discharge lamps for special purposes not specifically mentioned, which is now listed as exemption 4(f) in Annex III to Directive 2011/65/EU. The exemption was to expire on July 21, 2016.

On January 15, 2015, the Commission received several applications for renewal of the exemption. In accordance with Article 5(5) of Directive 2011/65/EU, the exemption remains valid until a decision on the renewal application has been taken.

After the evaluation, the Commission concluded that the substitution or elimination of mercury in the applications concerned by the exemption is currently technically impracticable. Therefore, the Commission granted the renewal of the exemption for a period of three years only. The evaluation also concluded that it is possible to further define the applications that qualify for a renewal of the exemption because of their specific functionality and application area, namely high pressure mercury vapor lamps used in projectors, used for horticulture lighting and emitting light in the ultraviolet spectrum. For those specific applications, the exemption should be renewed for a maximum period of 5 years.

4(f)-I Mercury in other discharge lamps for special purposes not specifically mentioned in this Annex, expires on February 24, 2025

4(f)-II Mercury in high pressure mercury vapor lamps used in projectors where an output ≥ 2000 lumen ANSI is required​, expires on February 24, 2027

4(f)-III Mercury in high pressure sodium vapor lamps used for horticulture lighting, expires on February 24, 2027

4(f)-IV Mercury in lamps emitting light in the ultraviolet spectrum​, expires on February 24, 2027​