20.9.2012 Official Journal of the European Union L 2531 (Non-legislative acts) REGULATIONS COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) No 847/2012 of 19 September 2012 amending Annex XVII to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) as regards mercury (Text with EEA relevance) THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION, Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), establishing a European Chemicals Agency, amending Directive 1999/45/EC and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 793/93 and Commission Regulation (EC) No 1488/94 as well as Council Directive 76/769/EEC and Commission Directives 91/155/EEC, 93/67[EEC, 93/105/EC and 2000/21/EC (!), and in particular Article 68(1) thereof, Whereas: (1) In its Communication to the Council and the European Parliament on a Community Strategy Concerning Mercury () the Commission outlined that it is necessary to reduce mercury levels in the environment and human exposure and proposed as objectives, among others, the reduction of entry into circulation of mercury in society by cutting supply and demand, the reduction of mercury emissions and the protection against mercury emissions. (2)  The strategy was reviewed in 2010 in the Communi- cation from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the review of the community strategy concerning mercury (), in which the Commission acknowledged that work will continue on the extension () O] L 396, 30.12.2006, p. 1. (2) COM(2005) 20 final. () COM(2010) 723 final. of the existing marketing restrictions for certain measuring devices containing mercury to additional devices used in the healthcare sector, in particular sphyg- momanometers and for other professional and industrial uses. (3)  The Council has reaffirmed several times its commitment to the overall objective of protecting human health and the environment from the release of mercury and its compounds by minimising and, where feasible, ultimately eliminating global anthropogenic mercury releases to air, water and land. In this context, the Council underlined that mercury-added products, where viable alternatives exist, should be phased out as rapidly and as completely as possible, with the ultimate goal that all mercury-added products should be phased-out, taking into due account technical and economic circumstances and the needs for scientific research and development (*). (4)  Mercury and its compounds are highly toxic to humans, ecosystems and wildlife. High doses can be fatal to humans, but even relatively low doses can have serious adverse neurodevelopmental impacts and have also been linked with possible harmful effects on the cardiov- ascular, immune and reproductive systems. Mercury is considered as a global persistent pollutant, circulating between air, water, sediments, soil and biota in various forms. It can change in the environment into methyl- mercury, its most toxic form. Methylmercury biom- agnifies especially in the aquatic food chain, making the human population and wildlife with a high intake of fish and seafood particularly vulnerable. Methyl- mercury readily passes both the placental barrier and the blood-brain barrier, inhibiting potential mental devel- opment even before birth, making the exposure of women of child-bearing age and children of greatest (*) Council conclusions of 15 March 2011 ‘Review of the Community Strategy concerning Mercury’, of 4 December 2008 ‘Addressing global mercury challenges’ and of 24 June 2005 ‘On the Community Strategy Concerning Mercury’.