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RoHS Directive
Directive 2002/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 January 2003 on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (RoHS) came into force on July 1, 2006. From this date, the producers of certain categories of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) may not put on the market products containing six prohibited components.
The Directive was published in 2003 and implemented in the Czech legislation through Section 37j (3) of the Act No. 185/2001 Coll., on wastes. It is concerned with EEE which is dependent on electric currents or electromagnetic fields in order to work properly and equipment for the generation, transfer and measurement of such currents and fields falling under the categories set out in Annex IA to Directive 2002/96/EC (WEEE) and designed for use with a voltage rating not exceeding 1000 Volt for alternating current and 1500 Volt for direct current.
The Directive applies to categories 1 to 7 and 10. The objective is to prohibit the use of six hazardous substances in the manufacture of EEE and thus contribute to protection of human health and the environment.
The use of the following 6 substances is prohibited in manufacture:
1. Cadmium
2. Mercury
3. Lead
4. Hexavalent chromium
5. Polybrominated biphenyls (PBB)
6. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE)
Equipment exempted from the scope of RoHS
Medical and military equipment and spare parts for the repair or the reuse of WEEE put on the market before July 1, 2006.
Spare parts for the repair of WEEE put on the market before July 1, 2006.
Specific use:
Lead in solders; final surface treatment of components; varnishes as colorants and dehydrants; PVC as reinforcement; batteries; cadmium – electrically plated surfaces; special solders; electrical contacts, relays and switches;
PVC stabilizer; plastic, glass and ceramic colors; certain glass and ceramic materials;
Mercury – lamps, sensors, relays; Hexavalent chromium – corrosion preventing coatings on metals; anti-corrosion paints;
PBB and PBDE - flame retardants in plastics.
Putting EEE on the Market
The producers of electrical and electronic equipment who fall within categories 1 to 7 or 10 pursuant to Annex No. 7 to this Act, including EEE intended exclusively for the purposes of State defense, and the producers of electrical light bulbs or lighting equipment intended for use in private households must ensure that electrical and electronic equipment which is put on the market after June 30, 2006 does not contain lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE),
unless this includes:
use of substances according to the list set out in an implementing regulation, or spare parts intended for the repair, or the reuse, of EEE put on the market before July 1, 2006.
Definition of exemptions and maximum weight concentrations
This is stipulated in Annex No. 5 to Decree No. 352/2005 Coll. with the heading:
List of Substances and Conditions under which the Producers of Electrical and Electronic Equipment Are Not Subject to the Provisions of Section 37j (3):
- Mercury in compact fluorescent lamps not exceeding 5mg per lamp.
- Mercury in straight fluorescent lamps for general purposes not exceeding:
- halophosphate 10mg
- triphosphate with normal lifetime 5 mg
- triphosphate with long lifetime 8 mg
- Mercury in straight fluorescent lamps for special purposes
- Mercury in other lamps not specifically mentioned in this Annex.
- Lead in glass of cathode ray tubes, electronic components and fluorescent tubes
- Lead as an alloying element in steel containing up to 0.35% lead by weight, aluminum containing up to 0.4% lead by weight and as a copper alloy containing up to 4% lead by weight
- Lead in high melting temperature type solders (i.e. tin-lead solder alloys containing more than 85% lead):
- Lead in solders for servers, storage and storage array systems, network infrastructure equipment for switching, signalling, transmission as well as network management for telecommunications,
- Lead in electronic ceramic parts (e.g. piezoelectronic devices)
- Cadmium and its compounds in electrical contacts and cadmium plating except for applications banned under a special legal regulation
- Hexavalent chromium as an anti-corrosion agent of a carbon steel cooling system in absorption refrigerators
What follows from this for producers/importers?
When putting a product on the market, the producer guarantees that the product complies with the RoHS legislation. Authorities of each country perform supervision in the given market and control of products.
Published on: 09. 09. 2009
Author: Ing. Karel Krejsa