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IPC calls for revised RoHS Directive based on science, aligned with REACH
Bannockburn, Ill. — IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries is urging members of the European Union (EU) Council and Parliament to ensure that the revised Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive be scientifically based and fully aligned with the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Regulation, according to the organization’s new white paper.
The white paper, “Recasting the RoHS Directive: An Opportunity to Solidify its Scientific Basis in Support of Comprehensive Environmental Regulation,” indicates that the amendment proposed in the EU Parliament that bans all brominated and chlorinated flame retardants, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), chlorinated plasticizers and three phthalates. would weaken the scientific basis of the RoHS Directive and directly contradict the REACH Regulation.
“Restricting an entire class of compounds — brominated and chlorinated flame retardants — without a strong scientific basis risks wasting societal resources to develop and implement substitutes and potentially risks unintended consequences associated with alternative substances,” said Fern Abrams, IPC director of government relations and environmental policy, in a statement.
According to the proposed amendment, tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBPA), the primary brominated flame retardant used in printed boards, would be banned under a revised RoHS Directive, which would be a direct contradiction with the REACH Regulation, according to IPC.
IPC reports that several scientific studies of TBBPA, including a comprehensive EU Risk Assessment, found TBBPA to be safe for human health and the environment.
“In order to ensure a positive impact on the environment, the recast of RoHS must improve the scientific basis of this important environmental directive and unify European chemicals regulations by aligning the RoHS Directive with the REACH Regulation. Any contrary action would be considered political jockeying that could adversely affect the environment at significant costs to industry,” said Lee Wilmot, director of environmental health and safety (EHS) at TTM Technologies, and chairman of IPC’s EHS Steering Committee, in a statement.
IPC plans to send copies of the white paper to members of the EU Council and the EU Parliament’s Environment Committee.
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