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Survey of Materials Required to Support the ROHS Legislation

This report describes the analysis of the current supply and future requirements of reference materials to support measurements carried out in support of the Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2008 (ROHS). It was produced under project R7 - Reference materials for industrial measurements of the NMS Chemical and Biological Metrology programme.

These regulations are designed to minimise the environmental impact of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) by reducing the quantities of four heavy metals and two brominated flame retardants that such items may contain.

The regulations apply to large household appliances, such as cookers, small household appliances, such as irons and electric knives, IT and telecommunication equipment, such as computers, printers and telephones, consumer equipment, such as radios and television sets, lighting equipment, including electric light bulbs and fluorescent lamps, electrical and electronic tools (except large stationary industrial tools), such as electric drills and other power tools, toys, leisure and sports equipment such as electric car racing sets and video games, and automatic dispensers such as drink or food dispensers.

The regulations state that producers shall ensure that electrical and electronic equipment placed on the market on or after 1 February 2008 does not contain lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) or polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in quantities exceeding the following amounts:

a) 0.1% by weight in homogeneous materials for lead;

b) 0.1% by weight in homogeneous materials for mercury;

c) 0.1% by weight in homogeneous materials for hexavalent chromium (Cr⁶⁺);

d) 0.1% by weight in homogeneous materials for polybrominated biphenyls;

e) 0.1% by weight in homogeneous materials for polybrominated diphenyl ethers; and

0.01% by weight in homogeneous materials for cadmium

The matrices in which the above analytes may occur include plastics, polymers, metals, brass, solder and wire.

Producers must be able to demonstrate compliance by submitting technical documentation to the enforcement authority on request, and to retain this documentation for a period of four years after the Electrical or Electronic Equipment (EEE) is placed on the market. The enforcement authority for the United Kingdom is the National Weights and Measures Laboratory (NWML), an Executive Agency of the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS).

To download the report click on the related content link below. Further information can be obtained from the NMS helpdesk at LGC.