What six hazardous substances are detected by ROHS? The European Parliament and the European Council adopted the RoHS directive in January 2003, the full name of which is The Restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment, which is also known as the 2002/95/EC directive. In 2005, the European Union supplemented 2002/95/EC in the form of 2005/618/EC resolution, clearly defining the maximum limit values of six hazardous substances.

RoHS lists six hazardous substances, including lead Pb, cadmium Cd, mercury Hg, hexavalent chromium Cr6+, PBDE, PBB

RoHS standard 2005/618/EC resolution. What are the limits of six hazardous substances? The maximum allowable content of lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), hexavalent chromium (Cr6+), polybrominated biphenyl (PBB), polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) is 0.1% (1000ppm), and cadmium (cd) is 0.01% (100ppm). This limit is the legal basis for determining whether the product conforms to the RoHS Directive. RoHS standard test covers the product range

RoHS directive covers a wide range of products, covering almost all electronic, electrical, medical, communication, toys, security information and other products. It includes not only the complete machine products, but also the parts, raw materials and packaging used in the production of the complete machine, which is related to the entire production chain.

Decabromodiphenyl ether (Deca-BDE): On April 1, 2008, the European Court of Justice revoked Decabromodiphenyl ether (Deca-BDE), which was originally an exempted item in the RoHS Directive, and will begin to control it after July 1. The main reason is that the European Court of Justice considered that the report provided by the Executive Committee at the beginning did not examine the possibility of other substances replacing Deca-BDE and the possible adverse effects of other substitute substances, and decided that the exemption was revoked due to negligence of administrative procedures.

However, Sweden, which actively participated in the EU risk assessment study, announced on May 8 that it would cancel the original law restricting Deca-BDE. The Swedish government banned the use of Deca-BDE in textile products, furniture and cables on January 1, 2007. However, due to the challenges of EU law and the fact that Deca-BDE's 10-year risk assessment report did not find any significant risk reason restrictions, the ban was lifted.

The European Commission is also evaluating how to avoid the conflict between the RoHS directive court to revoke the exemption from Deca-BDE and the risk assessment results. The Norwegian government announced in January 2008 that it would start to restrict the use of Deca-BDE in April. Since Norway is a member of the European Economic Area (EEA), this decision has also received a lot of opposition from the industry.

Latest information of EU RoHS and WEEE directives in 2008

On March 19 and 20, 2008, the European Union published a number of revised directives in the Official Gazette, including the directive on batteries, energy-consuming products, waste automobiles, electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) and the directive on the restriction of hazardous substances (RoHS). The amendments give the European Commission a number of executive powers. Manufacturers exporting electrical and electronic equipment to the European Union should pay particular attention to them, because it can be seen from the measures that the European Union may take in the future.

Directive 2008/34/EC amending Directive 2002/96/EC (WEEE Directive) on electrical and electronic equipment waste allows the European Commission to amend the annex to the WEEE Directive to incorporate provisions on treatment technology. The European Commission may amend the WEEE Directive due to scientific and technological progress to include household lighting equipment, filament lamps and photovoltaic products (such as solar panels) in the list of products covered by the WEEE Directive. Directive 2008/34/EC stipulates that the European Commission must consult the industry before revising the annex.

Directive 2008/35/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council amended Directive 2002/95/EC on the restriction of toxic substances contained in electrical and electronic equipment, giving the European Commission the right to make certain necessary amendments to the annex in order to coordinate the development of science and technology.

In addition, the European Commission has just completed the industry consultation on the RoHS Directive on the revision of the exemption of toxic substances contained in the Annex to the Directive. According to Article 5 (1) (c) of the RoHS Directive, the Commission must review each exempted substance listed in the Annex at least every four years. If the restricted substance can not be used or has other alternatives, the Commission may consider removing it from the existing exempted substances. Since the RoHS Directive came into force on July 1, 2006, the European Commission will review the annex on or before 2010.