Physics And Chemical Testing

RoHS Compliance(Restriction of Hazardous Substances) is the nickname given to the European Union's directive 2002/95/EC on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. RoHS is closely related to the European Union's directive 2002/96/EC on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). RoHS references Annex 1A of WEEE to specify its scope of coverage (Categories 1-7 and 10). While closely related, RoHS and WEEE deal with different parts of the product life cycle. RoHS seeks to reduce the amount of hazardous materials entering electronic products while WEEE deals with reducing the amount of electronics entering landfills. RoHS is the beginning, and WEEE is the end. Now is the time to determine the impact of RoHS on one's business because the directive goes into effect on July 1, 2006.

  The RoHS directive currently lists 6 materials as being restricted. Some use the language "banned", which is incorrect since RoHS specifies maximum concentration values (MCV's) for each material and provides a list of applications exempt from the restrictions (concentrations are specified in Commission Decision 2005/618/EC). RoHS language provides for future expansion of the restricted list should scientific evidence suggest the necessity. This is referred to in the directive as the precautionary principle.