EU RoHS Directive - what is it?

At present, the world community pays more and more attention to the issues of environmental protection. Seven-mile steps are the development of new technologies, extraction of minerals, mastering the territories of deserts and mountains. However, together with the positive moments, the reverse negative aspects are directly related to them: pollution of the environment, disappearance of flora and fauna, deforestation, destruction of the ozone layer, exhaustion of non-renewable resources, and so on. All these factors negatively affect the life and health of man and his descendants. In order to protect the remaining natural wealth, as well as to prevent the appearance of various types of deadly and dangerous diseases associated with modern developments, the countries of the world are striving to introduce prohibitions on the use of substances harmful to a living organism. One such directive is the RoHS. What is it, and what kinds of activities are used - is described in this article.

Restriction of the use of hazardous substances

In July 2006, at the next meeting of the member countries of the European Union , a directive was signed, according to which a restriction was introduced on the use of certain components in the development of electronic or electrical equipment. This decree is called RoHS. What does this mean in deciphering? Restriction of Hazardous Substances - this is the full name of the directive. This phrase is translated as "restriction of the use of hazardous substances." I would like to note that this directive is not the first of its kind. It only added to the ever-growing number of documents regulating new technologies that are acceptable for the environment. The original regulation, which relied on in the struggle for the purity of the planet, was the directive of the European Union WEEE. This stands for abbreviation as Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment, which means "waste from electrical and electronic equipment". Soon it was supplemented by the RoHS document. That this decree will become so popular and will find support not only in Europe, but also far beyond its borders, was believed with difficulty. However, to date, due to the measures taken in the field of legislation, the world is struggling for ecological balance and the use of harmless technologies.

Refusal to use dangerous elements: six "no"

The RoHS document hinders the use of the six substances described below.

1. Lead. In a periodic chemical system, this element is denoted as Pb. Lead is one of the most dangerous substances, destructively affecting living organisms. The greatest concentration of this material and compounds with its participation in goods should not exceed 0.1% of the total volume.
2. Cadmium. Its Latin designation is Cd. The percentage of this element should not exceed 0.01 fraction of the total mass.
3. Mercury. This dangerous substance refers to metals and in the periodic table is referred to as Hg. The maximum concentration of this material can not be higher than 0.1%.
4. Similar requirements for mercury are also applied to hexavalent chromium (Cr + 6). By its nature this substance is the strongest oxidizer and very toxic material.
5. In addition, such a compound with bromine (Br), as polybrominated biphenyls, is highly toxic.
6. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers. Often, these materials (5 and 6) are used in electronic technologies as elements not subject to rapid ignition. The maximum concentration of each of these substances should not exceed 0.1% of the total volume.

Aspirations to improve the world

Of course, the restriction of the application of the above substances pursues certain goals. With the use of more sparing and pure substances world producers want to maximize:

• Reduce pollution and the subsequent destruction of the Earth's biological envelope;
• To eliminate the possible poisoning by the above substances, and from this follows the prevention of health problems for those individuals who use or work with unsafe electronics or electrical appliances.

For electronics manufacturers

Whose interests are affected by the accepted RoHS document ? That this decree has found support outside of Europe is not surprising. After all, many countries are exporters of goods to the territory of the Union. Therefore, in order to be eligible to work in the European market, electronic or electrical products must comply with the proposed environmental requirements. If the product is completely safe, it marks the RoHS compliant label, which means "complies with the requirements of the RoHS directive".

Everything that surrounds us

Thus, in accordance with the document described, the electrical or electronic equipment that we use in everyday life must comply with the rules of environmental safety. So, the RoHS tablet should not contain lead adhesions and other harmful elements. This also applies to various household appliances and equipment, lighting systems, toys, automatic devices, electrical and electronic instruments, and so on. Currently, producers of cigarette and tobacco substitutes also pay attention to this document. Often in the shops you can find the inscription "electronic cigarette RoHS". This category of goods, although not completely harmless (due to the presence of nicotine), but declares the absence of dangerous and poisonous substances in the materials used to create the product.