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Stewardship and the Nickel Institute

[last revised June 2009]


The member companies of the Nickel Institute produce basic nickel products that form the basis of other materials and products.

These materials and products are transformed numerous times by different companies in different industry sectors before the finished nickel-containing products arrive in the marketplace.

The Nickel Institute is the nickel industry organization that concerns itself with nickel after it has left the ownership and responsibility of the nickel producing companies.  In 2001 the Nickel Institute developed and had approved by its Board of Directors a formal product stewardship policy.  This policy was revised and expanded in May 2005.  It and the activities of the Nickel Institute in support of it are reviewed annually. 

Consistent with that policy, the Nickel Institute has identified several issues that will be of interest to audiences beyond its traditional industry-to-industry communication focus. The topics on this page deal with consumer products, their safe use and eventual recycling.  For information on nickel in a commercial industrial context, go to Managing Nickel and Nickel-Containing Products.

The information is very brief and is intended to give quick, practical advice.  Questions consumers can ask of themselves or retailers are often suggested, and links to further information offered.

Topics:

Jewellery: How to minimize the risk of allergy

Body piercing: What to look for when considering ear or body piercing

Nickel-containing batteries: How to increase the recycling of batteries

Immersion-type kettles: The purchase, use and care of immersion-type kettles

Musical instruments: Things to consider when purchasing instruments with metallic surfaces

Dental alloys: Where and why nickel is used

Surgical implants: Where and why nickel is used

Taps and faucets: Nickel-chromium plated fixtures and drinking water

Nickel stainless steel cookware: Safe for use by nickel-allergic individuals

Mobile phones: Where and why nickel is used

DIY nickel plating kits: The nickel and other chemicals you will encounter in do-it-yourself electroplating kits are hazardous

Safe use of nickel in the workplace: Safe Use of Nickel in the Workplace was updated in 2008 to inform downstream users of nickel about the outcomes of the European Nickel Risk Assessment

In addition to these specific topics, the Nickel Institute website contains an extensive library of technical information for users of nickel, information on life cycle assessment, recycling, and human and environmental health.

 

Nickel