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RoHS Directive
European Directive 2002/95/EC, also known as the Restriction of (certain) Hazardous Substances or the RoHS Directive, was published in the Official Journal of the European Union in February of 2003. It was at this point that the RoHS Directive became law within Europe, which currently includes 25 Member States. The RoHS Directive essentially states that electrical and electronic products put on the market within the EU shall not contain lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) or polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) after July 1, 2006.
RoHS, lead-free legislation, or to use its accurate but somewhat lengthy title "Directive 2002/95/EC on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment", will be enforced throughout the European Community from 1st July 2006.
Its aim is simple - to remove a total of six substances from electrical and electronic equipment (EEE), thereby contributing to the protection of human health and the environment.
Although RoHS is a European Union (EU) Directive, manufacturers of EEE outside Europe must also abide by this legislation if the equipment they produce is ultimately imported into a EU member state.
With Toxicity Testing "just around the corner", planners and architects are considering new solutions and placement of the cabling infrastructure. Soon, testing for toxicity may be part of the requirement for the cables that we place in IAQ (Indoor Air Quality) pathways as well as the IEQ (Indoor Environmental Quality) standards. We can no longer trash the building by filling the return air plenums with toxic chemicals and waste materials that pose a safety and public health risk.
www.pb-free.info/laymans_terms.htm
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