Request a Demo
The UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) launched four public consultations on March 10 to solicit comments on proposed updates to exemptions under the Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2012 (UK RoHS regulations). Comments are welcome before May 4, 2025.
The UK RoHS Regulations restricts the use of 10 hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (EEE). Industry can apply for exemptions to allow the supply of EEE using one or more of restricted hazardous substances above the threshold limits set in the UK RoHS Regulations if specified criteria are met. A list of existing exemptions can be found in Table 1, Schedule A2, of the Hazardous Substances and Packaging (Legislative Functions and Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020. Notably, these exemptions are only applicable to the Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) market.
This time the four proposals concern requests for the renewal of existing exemptions, covering:
Exemption for lead solder in control units of combustion engines
Exemption for lead in bearings and bushes of diesel or gaseous powered ices
Mercury in other discharge lamps for special purposes
Use of helium cadmium lasers in Raman spectroscopy
Exempted applications | Categories of EEE to which exemption applies | Expiry date | Proposed renewal duration |
Lead in solder of engine control units of combustion engines, installed in equipment used at fixed positions while in operation which is designed for professionals, but also used by non-professional users | Other EEE not covered by the other categories | July 21, 2024 | The requested duration of the exemption is until January 2027. |
Lead in bearings and bushes of diesel or gaseous fuel-powered internal combustion engines, applied in non-road professional use equipment:
| Other EEE not covered by the other categories | July 21, 2024 | The requested duration of the exemption is for 5 years. |
Mercury in other discharge lamps for special purposes not specifically mentioned in another entry in Table 1, Schedule A2. | Industrial monitoring and control instruments; Other EEE not covered by the other categories | July 21, 2024 | The requested duration of the exemption is for 5 years. |
Cadmium in helium-cadmium lasers
*The proposal concerns request for renewal for an exemption for the use of helium-cadmium lasers in Raman applications. These lasers are used in Raman spectroscopy which is a widely used analytical method for precise measurement of the chemical structure, phase and polymorphy, crystallinity and molecular interactions. The laser requires the cadmium in order to emit the laser at a certain wavelength, 325 nanometres (nm) for Raman spectroscopy. | Industrial monitoring and control instruments | July 21, 2024 | The requested duration of the exemption is for 7 years. |
For details on these proposals, please refer to the reference links below.
