Substitution of "Hazardous Substances" in Future Electronic Equipment

Lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium and two groups of flame retardant, namely polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), are hazardous to health and in Europe they are to be banned from the majority of uses within a few years.

After many years of pressure from the EU, from environmental groups, from the concerned public and from Japanese competition, action is being taken to remove these substances from electronic equipment.

Following European Directives under the banner of "Producer Responsibility" covering packaging (94/62 EC) and batteries (91/157 EC), various draft documents are passing through the EU Parliament with proposals to ban these six key substances.

Without careful planning, the bans will have chaotic effects on the European electronics industry.

In electronics manufacture, the supply chain is often complex and parts and sub-assemblies may originate from many sub-contractors on a global basis.

As a result, it is necessary to set up databases and systems to track the materials used by suppliers and sub-contractors. This can only be done with an awareness of the hazardous materials that might be used in different components and subsystems, the levels at which the materials might cause problems, the alternatives and their potential hazards.

The publication is divided into three sections: chapters 1-4 give the background to the present position, the state of the legislation at time of publication, the actions by industries (especially Japanese) to influence the market and the known health effects; chapters 5-10 describe the way the six substances are used at present in the electronics industry and what alternatives are available with their different properties; and chapters 11-14 consider the effects on the electronics industry, what must change and where further development work is required.