China to cut mercury in compact fluorescent lamps

BEIJING - The mercury density of compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) will be reduced by 80 percent by 2015 in comparison to 2010, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said Tuesday.

Mercury content will be cut to less than 1 mg in more than half of new CFLs, according to a plan drawn up jointly by the MIIT, the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

Further efforts will be made to cut mercury discharges that occur during the production process by 50 percent by 2014 in comparison to 2010, the plan said.

Engineers have successfully developed mini-watt CFLs with a mercury content of less than 0.5 mg, according to the MIIT.

The plan is part of greater efforts to cut energy consumption and make industrial design more environmentally friendly, the ministry said.