A new Environment Ministry regulation to take effect next year may virtually ban the use of lead, mercury and four other harmful substances in large home appliances and personal computers, according to ministry officials.
The regulation will require appliance makers to inform consumers if their products have excessive amounts of the substances, which also include cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyl and polybrominated diphenyl ether, the officials said.
The regulation may be applied to imported products as well, they said.
Manufacturers will be expected to display the information on product stickers, packages and manuals. This will help prevent the harmful substances from being released into the environment when recycling, they said.
Central and municipal government offices will be urged to buy products that are free of the substances.
The new regulation is similar to one being considered by the European Union, which has already decided to ban the six substances from home appliances sold there from July 2006, they said.
Once the regulation takes effect, the banned substances will only be allowed to be used in exceptional cases, such as when alternative substances are unavailable.