Latest Updates | RoHS Explained | Complexities to Consider | Official Documents
Latest Exemption Updates:
>> Six new RoHS exemptions pass TAC vote. Please see exemptions # 21-27 below for more detail. (1 August, 2006)
>>As cited in the official Technical Adaptation Committee (TAC) notes for the meeting held 15 February, 2006 the member states have voted in favor of five new exemptions to the RoHS Directive. Please see exemptions #16-20 below for more detail. (10 May, 2006)
>> These proposed exemptions which had been delayed in the approval process were formally adopted and published in the Official Journal on 21 October, 2005. Please see below for the list of proposed exemptions that have been adopted or read the full text of the 21 October, 2005 amendment. (21 October, 2005)
>> In addition, on 13 October, 2005 the European Commission published additional exemptions:
Deca-BDE ( a flame retardant that does not cause as much environmental damage as was once thought) and lead in bronze bearing shells and bushes are now exempt. Read the full text of 13 October, 2005 amendment. (13 October, 2005)
Original List of Exemptions in the Annex:
1. Mercury in compact fluorescent lamps not exceeding 5mg per lamp
2. Mercury in straight fluorescent lamps for general purposes not exceeding: Halophosphate - 10mg, Triphosphate with normal lifetime - 5mg, Triphosphate with long lifetime - 8mg
3. Mercury in straight fluorescent lamps for special purposes
4. Mercury in other lamps not specifically mentioned in this list
5. Lead in the glass of cathode ray tubes, electronic components and fluorescent tubes
6. Lead as an alloying element in steel containing up to 0.35% lead by weight, aluminium containing up to 0.4% lead by weight and as a copper alloy containing up to 4% lead by weight
7. Note: the wording of this exemption has been formally changed in the amendment to the Annex published 21 October, 2005.. Please see below.
8. Note: the wording of this exemption has been formally changed in the amendment to the Annex published 21 October, 2005. Please see below.
9. Hexavalent chromium as an anti-corrosion of the carbon steel cooling system in absorption refrigerators.
10. Within the procedure referred to in Article 7(2), the Commission shall evaluate the applications for the following as a matter of priority in order to establish as soon as possible whether these items are to be amended accordingly: Deca BDE, mercury in straight fluorescent lamps for special purposes, lead in solders for servers, storage, storage array systems, network infrastructure equipment for switching, signaling, transmission as well as network management for telecommunications (with a view to setting a specific time limit for this exemption), and light bulbs.
Exemptions Included in the Amended Annex Published 21 October, 2005:
These proposed exemptions were formally adopted by the European Commission in the amendment to the RoHS Directive Annex published 21 October, 2005. Read the full text of the amendment.
11. Lead used in compliant pin connector systems.
12. Lead as a coating material for the thermal conduction module c-ring.
13. Lead and cadmium in optical and filter glass.
14. Lead in solders consisting of more than two elements for the connection between the pins and the package of microprocessors with a lead content of more than 80% and less than 85% by weight.
15. Lead in solders to complete a viable electrical connection between semiconductor die and carrier within integrated circuit Flip Chip packages.
In addition, wording changes to 2 approved exemptions have been formally adopted.
- A proposal has been made to change the wording of exemption #7 above from "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 (exemption granted until 2010). Lead in solders for network infrastructure equipment for switching, signaling, transmission as well as network management for telecommunication. Lead in electronic ceramic parts (e.g. piezoelectronic devices). "
to
"Lead in high melting temperature type solders (i.e. lead based alloys containing 85% by weight or more lead). Lead in solders for servers, storage and storage array systems, network infrastructure equipment for switching, signaling, transmission as well as network management for telecommunication. Lead in electronic ceramic parts (e.g. piezoelectronic devices) ."
- A proposal has been made to change the wording of exemption #8 above from "Cadmium plating except for applications banned under Directive 91/338/EEC amending Directive 76/769/EEC relating to restrictions on the marketing and use of certain dangerous substances and preparations."
to
"Cadmium and its compounds in electrical contacts and cadmium plating except for applications banned under directive 91/338/EEC amending directive 76/769/EEC relating to restrictions on the marketing and use of certain dangerous substances and preparations
."
Exemptions Voted in Favor at 15 February, 2006 TAC Meeting and published in the European Journal on 28, April, 2006 include:
16. Lead in linear incandescent lamps with silicate coated tubes.
17. Lead halide as radiant agent in High Density Discharge (HID) lamps used for professional reprography applications.
18. Lead as activator in the fluorescent powder (1% lead by weight or less) of discharge lamps when used as sun tanning lamps as well as when used as specialty lamps for diazo-printing reprography, lithography, insect traps, photochemical and curing processes.
19. Lead with PbBiSn-Hg and PbInSn-Hg in specific compositions as main amalgam and with PbSn-Hg as auxiliary amalgam in very compact Energy Saving Lamps (ESL).
20. Lead oxide in glass used for bonding front and rear substrates of flat fluorescent lamps used for Liquid Crystal Displays (LCD).
Exemptions voted in favor at 26 June, 2006 TAC meeting - but not yet published in the European Journal include:
21. Lead and cadmium in printing inks for the application of enamels on borosilicate glass.
22. * see Note below.
23. Lead in finishes of fine pitch components other than connectors with a pitch of 0.65 mm or less with NiFe lead frames and lead in finishes of fine pitch components other than connectors with a pitch of 0.65 mm or less with copper lead frames.
24. Lead in solders for the soldering to machined through hole discoidial and planar array ceramic multilayer capacitors.
25. Lead oxide in plasma display panels (PDP) and surface conduction electron emitter displays (SED) used in structural elements; notably in the front and rear glass dielectric layer, the bus electrode, the black stripe, the address electrode, the barrier ribs, the seal frit and frit ring as well as in print pastes.
26. Lead oxide in the glass envelope of Black Light Blue (BLB) lamps.
27. Lead alloys as solder for transducers used in high-powered (designated to operate for several hours at acoustic power levels of 125 dB SPL and above) loudspeakers.
* Note: Proposed exemption # 22. Lead as an impurity in RIG (rare earth iron garnet) Faraday rotators used for fiber-optic communications systems, did not meet the exemption criteria and was withdrawn.
Resources:
>> More information about product exemptions from the RoHS Directive is available in the Green Supply Line aritcle titled "Unraveling the Mystery of RoHS Exemptions". (19 December, 2005)