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(May 19, 2008) BANNOCKBURN, Ill. — In a rally to "stand up, take action, and be heard," IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries sent a call for all technical experts from member companies and other stakeholders in the electronics industry to participate in a special meeting on June 18, 2008, in Brussels to discuss their concerns about a proposed RoHS expansion. Plans call for representatives of the European Commission to attend the meeting.
IPC cites concerns about the "Draft Report" issued by the Öko Institute, the organization retained by the EU Commission to study the inclusion of additional substance restrictions in the RoHS Directive, and what IPC refers to as Öko's "biased and flawed methodologies." In its report, Öko went beyond the framework initially set by the EU Commission and created new criteria and categories for inclusion within the RoHS Directive, proposing now that substances observed in the environment and with concerns about combustion should be prohibited under RoHS. IPC claims that Institute staff denied IPC permission to attend a workshop it held for discussion of the report, as only "scientific experts were invited."
Proposed substances to add to RoHS include Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), the flame retardant used to protect more than 80% of PCBs. IPC argues that TBPA was found to be safe by a comprehensive EU "Risk Assessment." In addition to TBBPA, the Institute suggests banning Hexabromocylcododecanes (HBCDD), several phthalate plasticizers, and all organic compounds containing chlorine and bromine.
IPC believes it is critical for all scientific evidence to be presented and is hopeful that its special meeting in Brussels will provide industry experts with an avenue to present their technical findings before a final decision is made by the EU Commission.
IPC asserts that, as an industry association, it supports the ongoing objectives of unifying European chemicals regulation through REACH, opposing the Institute's concern for the need of more focused legislation on electronic and electrical equipment. The Institute's position for RoHS expansion would be largely inconsistent with the implementation of REACH, which is meant to be an overarching policy, state IPC representatives.
RSVP for IPC's special meeting at www.ipc.org/rohsbrussels, or contact Fern Abrams, IPC director of environmental policy and government relations, at fernabrams@ipc.org.
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