Electronic Equipment (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations, 2008

Suppliment tal-Gazzetta tal-Gvern ta’ Malta, Nru. 18,344, 21 ta’ Novembru, 2008

L.N. 307 of 2008

PRODUCT SAFETY ACT

(CAP. 427)

Restriction of Use of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and

Electronic Equipment (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations, 2008

IN exercise of the powers conferred by articles 38 and 39 of the

Product Safety Act, the Minister of Finance, the Economy and

Investment, on the advice of the Malta Standards Authority, has made

the following regulations>–

(1) The title of these regulations is the Restriction of Use of Citation,

commencement and

Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment scope.

(Amendment) (No.2) Regulations, 2008 and they shall be read and

construed as one with the Restriction of Use of Hazardous Substances

in Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations, 2004, hereinafter L.N. 396 of 2004.

referred to as “the principal regulations.”

(2) These regulations implement the requirements of

Commission Decision of 24 January 2008 amending, for the purposes

of adapting to technical progress, the Annex to Directive 2002#95#EC

of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards exemptions

for applications of lead and cadmium.

(3) These regulations shall be deemed to have come into

force on the 1 st July, 2006.

For Schedule I to the principal regulations there shall be Substitutes

Schedule I to the

substituted the following>

principal

regulations.

“Schedule I

(Regulation 4(2))

Applications of lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium,

polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) or polybrominated diphenyl

ethers (PBDE) which are exempt from the requirements of

regulation 4(2)

Application

Mercury in compact fluorescent lamps not exceeding 5 mg per

1. lamp.

Mercury in straight fluorescent lamps for general purposes not

2. exceeding

— halophosphate

10 mg

— triphosphate with normal lifetime

5 mg

— triphosphate with long lifetime

8 mg.

Mercury in straight fluorescent lamps for special purposes.

Mercury in other lamps not specifically mentioned in this Schedule.

Lead in glass of cathode ray tubes, electronic components and

fluorescent tubes.

Lead as an alloying element in steel containing up to 0,35 % lead by

weight, aluminium containing up to 0,4 % lead by weight and as a

copper alloy containing up to 4 % lead by weight.

(a)

Lead in high melting temperature type solders (i.e. tin-lead

solder alloys containing more than 85 % lead),

(b)

Lead in solders for servers, storage and storage array

systems, network infrastructure equipment for switching, signaling,

transmission

as

well

as

network

management

for

telecommunications,

(c)

Lead in electronic ceramic parts (e.g. piezoelectronic

devices).

Cadmium and its compounds in electrical contacts and cadmium

plating except for applications banned under Directive

91/338/EEC 13 amending Directive 76/769/EEC2 4 relating to

restrictions on the marketing and use of certain dangerous

substances and preparations.

1 3 OJ L 186, 12.7.1991, p. 59.

2 4 OJ L 262, 27.9.1976, p. 201.

Hexavalent chromium as an anti-corrosion of the carbon steel

cooling system in absorption refrigerators.

Deca BDE for polymeric applications.

Lead in lead-bronze bearing shells and bushes.

-

Lead used in compliant pin connector systems.

Lead as a coating material for the thermal conduction module c-

ring.

Lead and cadmium in optical and filter glass.

Lead in solders consisting of more than two elements for the

connection between the pins and the package of microprocessors

with a lead content of more than 80 % and less than 85 % by

weight.

Lead in solders to complete a viable electrical connection between

semiconductor die and carrier within integrated circuit Flip Chip

packages. .

Lead in linear incandescent lamps with silicate coated tubes.

Lead halide as radiant agent in High Intensity Discharge (HID)

lamps used for professional reprography applications.

Lead as activator in the fluorescent powder (1 % lead by weight or

less) of discharge lamps when used as sun tanning lamps containing

phosphors such as BSP (BaSi2O5:Pb) as well as when used as

speciality lamps for diazo-printing reprography, lithography, insect

traps, photochemical and curing processes containing phosphors

such as SMS ((Sr,Ba)2MgSi2O7:Pb).

Lead with PbBiSn-Hg and PbInSn-Hg in specific compositions as

main amalgam and with PbSn-Hg as auxiliary amalgam in very

compact Energy Saving Lamps (ESL).

Lead oxide in glass used for bonding front and rear substrates of flat

fluorescent lamps used for Liquid Crystal Displays (LCD).

Lead and cadmium in printing inks for the application of enamels

on borosilicate glass.

Lead as impurity in RIG (rare earth iron garnet) Faraday rotators

used for fibre optic communications systems.

Lead in finishes of fine pitch components other than connectors

with a pitch of 0.65 mm or less with NiFe lead frames and lead in

finishes of fine pitch components other than connectors with a pitch

of 0.65 mm or less with copper lead frames.

Lead in solders for the soldering to machined through hole discoidal

and planar array ceramic multilayer capacitors.

Lead oxide in plasma display panels (PDP) and surface conduction

electron emitter displays (SED) used in structural elements; notably

in the front and rear glass dielectric layer, the bus electrode, the

black stripe, the address electrode, the barrier ribs, the seal frit and

frit ring as well as in print pastes.

Lead oxide in the glass envelope of Black Light Blue (BLB) lamps.

Lead alloys as solder for transducers used in high-powered

(designated to operate for several hours at acoustic power levels of

125 dB SPL and above) loudspeakers.

Hexavalent chromium in corrosion preventive coatings of unpainted

metal sheetings and fasteners used for corrosion protection and

Electromagnetic Interference Shielding in equipment falling under

category three of Directive 2002/96/EC (IT and telecommunications

equipment). Exemption granted until 1 July 2007.

Lead bound in crystal glass as defined in Annex I (Categories 1, 2, 3

and 4) of Council Directive 69/493/EEC. 53

Cadmium alloys as electrical/mechanical solder joints to electrical

conductors located directly on the voice coil in transducers used in

high-powered loudspeakers with sound pressure levels of 100 dB

(A) and more.

Lead in soldering materials in mercury free flat fluorescent lamps

(which e.g. are used for liquid crystal displays, design or industrial

lighting).

Lead oxide in seal frit used for making window assemblies for

Argon and Krypton laser tubes.”.

Mitbug[ fl-Istamperija tal-Gvern – Printed at the Government Printing Press

OJ L 326, 29.12.1969, p. 36. Directive as last amended by 2003 Act of Accession.’…….