RoHS Directive about Hazardous Substances

In 2003, the European Union (EU) issued the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive, also known as RoHS Directive or 2002/95/EC Directive).
The EU has prepared this new directive in order to protect the environment and the health of those people who usually work with electrical and electronic equipment (EEE).
This regulation is predominantly targeted at eliminating the concentration of given substances from the electrical and electronic appliances that fall under the scope of application of the same directive. As a consequence, all EU Member states must guarantee that, effective on 1 July 2006, the new electrical and electronic appliances put in the market do not contain any of the six prohibited substances reported below:

• Lead (Pb) and its compounds
• Mercury (Hg)
• Cadmium VI (Cd-VI) and its compounds
• Hexavalent chrome and its compounds
• Polybrominated biphenyl (PBB)
• Polybrominateddiphenyl ethers (PBDE)
• Pentha, otta, deca- BDE (Bromdiphenylether).