Sorry of being off-topic, but this is related to the ban of mercury in general (Which accepted in lighting as well).
The Israeli DoH, bans mercury thermometers and sphygmomanometer in hospitals, and until 2014, they will be illegal to use for the general public:
Translated link (Original hebrew link) .

In EU this is in force already for a few years.
To be exact, it is legal to still use them, but it is not allowed to "introduce them on the market", what mean manufacture and import.

When introduced, big campaign was present everywhere, how the infrared digital thermometers are more accurate or so, but the real experience say there were way more incidents of wrong reading causing incorrect medical procedures (with some illnesses the accurate temperature monitoring is crucial in determining the medications).

There was huge dispute about the thermometer calibration, as care providers want the calibration procedures to be published by the makers, so they could check the equipment they are using, while makers stated these procedures are too sensitive for operator error, so they would keep it as a trade secret.
Well, what the makers were still not able to explain, why there were so much more frequent cases of wrong reading compare to the supposedly very sensitive (for human error) mercury thermometers...

damm it i have been using a mercury thermometer almost 50 years.maybe i should just keel over right now as proof the $cientists are right ;-).
how did any of us survive?
i guess my 6 column mercury manometer for setting up motorcycle carbs should have done me in too?

This madness is spread around just to boost the sale of new gadgets...

But there plays it's role the evolution towards "The user could be dumb like a.., so it's the regulators duty to make sure there would not be any dangers for him" (see warnings like "not intended for drying cats" on a microwave oven and so on)...

thats most likely to be the intent.to force replacement of durable items with throwaway junk.
as for safety lets remove all the silly labels and just let nature take its course.the ultimate dumbass filter!

This madness is spread around just to boost the sale of new gadgets...

But there plays it's role the evolution towards "The user could be dumb like a.., so it's the regulators duty to make sure there would not be any dangers for him" (see warnings like "not intended for drying cats" on a microwave oven and so on)...

Ok so long as an idiot can only harm himself, and not others including his family (now this is often a problem)

But let alone the labels, first thing i'd like to see is the "fear pumping" gone and kids building treehouses again. Now that would be bigger advantage than thermometers (without substituting from the importance of mercuy thermometers)