Norway has proposed to restrict 18 substances in anything intended for “consumers” or products that can reasonably be expected to be used by them.
This includes such as clothing, bags, toys etc but does not apply to food products, food packaging, medical equipment, fertilisers, tobacco as well as means of transport and associated products such as tyres.
Called the Prohibition on certain Hazardous Substances in Consumer Products, the legislation was due to come into force by January 1st 2008, but a stakeholder consultation received around 100 responses, many from the electrical sector.
Any consumer products that donot fall into categories 1 to 8 and 10 of the RoHS Directive are included. This mainly impacts on “test equipment” that could be used by consumers such as smoke detectors, thermostats etc.
The Norwegian Pollution Control Authority wishes to evaluate the stakeholder replies properly and has decided to defer entry into force until further notice.
During this time they will consider whether or not there is any basis for changing which substances will be regulated, concentration limits and the need for exemptions.
The substances that are of relevance to the Electrical and Electronic industry include arsenic (Gallium Arsenide devices) various flame retardants, PVC plasticisers (added to a plastic material to soften it and improve flexibility), monomers used for polycarbonate, lead and cadmium (any consumer product not covered by RoHS excluding medical devices).
PoHS will be subservient to many existing regulations including EU-RoHS and the Batteries and Accumulators Directive. This means that Electrical and Electronic products that fall within the scope of EU-RoHS do not have to meet the more stringent requirements for lead and cadmium but do on the other 16, non-RoHS substances.
Directive Decoder
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