In 2002, the European Union passed Directive 2002/95/EC or RoHS, as it is more popularly known - the Restriction of Hazardous Substances. The legislation restricted the use of certain materials in manufacturing electrical and electronic components (known as EEE). To avoid fines and other legal issues, all products sold in the EU market had to pass RoHS compliance by July 1, 2006.

The RoHS Banned Substances

1. Lead

2. Mercury

3. Cadmium

4. Hexavalent Chromium

5. Polybrominated Biphenyls

6. Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers

7. Four Phthalates (DEHP, BBP, BBP, DIBP)

As the official RoHS guide explains, “The restricted materials are hazardous to the environment and pollute landfills, and are dangerous in terms of occupational exposure during manufacturing and recycling.”

The RoHS directive applies to any company - inside and outside of the EU - that sells electronic and electrical products in the EU. The regulations have been adopted and developed in many countries outside the EU and “also applies to the metal industry for any application of metal plating, anodizing, chromating or other finishes on EEE components, heatsinks, or connectors”.

Penalties vary by EU country and include fines and possible imprisonment. As our world becomes more digital, relying on numerous electronic products from cell phones to drones, IoT wearables to smart homes, the need for such regulations will only increase. Another related EU directive is WEEE - Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment. While products have to be compliant, older parts can contain some of these restricted elements, and the new compliant ones still needed rules for proper disposal. Whether recycled or destroyed, these components needed mandates for their recycling, recovery and treatment. The WEEE regulations are covered in Directive 2002/96/EC.

Another EU regulation, Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, Restriction of Chemicals or REACH, covers the chemicals in RoHS and more. REACH targets 197 chemicals used in any type of manufacturing. In the United States, HIPAA regulates the use of many of the same chemicals as RoHS and REACH. 

HIPAA controls the medical industry and its EEP (External Expertise and Partnerships) rules - including the certification of anyone making medical devices and other equipment used by medical professionals - such as office equipment.

Testing for compliance of Restrictions on Hazardous Substances was initially done using a X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy. These XRF metal analyzers are still used for testing for restricted metals, but with the addition of the four phthalates a solvent tester was added. 

“The extraction solvent is then analyzed for the presence of phthalates using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) or coupled with flame ionization detection (GC/FID),” the RoHS Guide notes.

Since 2002 when the first regulations were introduced, a number of updates have occurred to cover new elements and requirements. RoHS is a constantly evolving set of rules covering a growing list of restricted elements. Keeping up-to-date on the rules is a very important requirement for any business selling or manufacturing products in the EU.

In the United States, many of the regulations come under the Department of Commerce and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) which they oversee. Their Guide to United States Electrical and Electronic Equipment Compliance Requirements provides insights to the rules in the US, as does another branch of the department - the Consumer Product Safety Commission.