China To Ban Toxic Materials From Electronic
Products Made For Domestic Use
by Dave Bell
The People's Republic of China is moving ahead with plans to control the use of hazardous substances in electronic equipment produced for internal sale. China's Ministry of Information Industry notified the World Trade Organization (WTO) of its intention to ban lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, and other toxic and harmful substances from a wide range of products.
Affected equipment includes electronic radar products, electronic communication products, broadcast and television products, computer products, household electronic products, electronic measurement and instrument products, electronic component products, electronic application products, electronic material products, and all their components, according to a document filed with the WTO.
Scheduled to go into effect on July 1, 2006, the same date as Europe's directive restricting the use of hazardous substances (ROHS), the purpose of the proposed law is to "control and reduce environmental pollution caused by discarded waste electronic information products, save resources, and promote sustainable development of the electronic information industry."
In cases where toxic and harmful substances cannot be completely removed from a product, they must be held to a pre-set limit. Labels stating the names and amounts of toxic substances, as well as recovery marks or symbols, will be required. In addition, packaging must be made of "non-toxic, harmless, readily degradable, and recyclable materials" and marked with a list of ingredients.
China intends to create and annually update the Catalogue for Pollution
Control in Key Electronic Information Products, which will list banned substances
and affected products. The American
Electronics Association has been monitoring development of the law,
known as the "Administration on the Control of Pollution Caused by
Electronic Information Products," and plans to offer relevant analysis
and guidance to the United States electronics industry.