RoHS Directive (Restriction of the use of certain Hazardous Substances (RoHS), which refers to directive 2011/65/EU, was published by the European Union (EU) aiming to reduce the amount of hazardous substances used in electrical and electronic products. Since then, several exemptions were granted to specific applications which are scientifically or technically infeasible to be replaced.
The exemptions of RoHS 2.0 are listed in Annex III and Annex IV. The exemptions in Annex III are suitable for all EEE. Meanwhile, the exemptions in Annex IV are only suitable for medical devices (category 8) and monitoring and control instruments (category 9).
Recently, the Official Journal of the European Union has amended Annex III & Annex IV of 2011/65/EU and are listed in the adjacent tables.
Table 1: Updated exemptions to Annex III
| Regulation # | Entry # | Exemption | Expiry Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| (EU) 2020/361 | 9 | Hexavalent chromium as an anticorrosion agent of the carbon steel cooling system in absorption refrigerators up to 0,75 % by weight in the cooling solution | Applies to categories 8, 9 and 11 and expires on:
|
| 9(a)-I | Up to 0,75 % hexavalent chromium by weight, used as an anticorrosion agent in the cooling solution of carbon steel cooling systems of absorption refrigerators (including minibars) designed to operate fully or partly with electrical heater, having an average utilised power input < 75 W at constant running conditions | Applies to categories 1-7 and 10 and expires on 5 March 2021 | |
| 9(a)-II | Up to 0,75 % hexavalent chromium by weight, used as an anticorrosion agent in the cooling solution of carbon steel cooling systems of absorption refrigerators:
| Applies to categories 1-7 and 10 and expires on 21 July 2021 | |
| (EU) 2020/365 | 41 | Lead in solders and termination finishes of electrical and electronic components and finishes of printed circuit boards used in ignition modules and other electrical and electronic engine control systems, which for technical reasons must be mounted directly on or in the crankcase or cylinder of handheld combustion engines (classes SH:1, SH:2, SH:3 of Directive 97/68/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (*)) | Applies to all categories and expires on:
|
Table 2: Updated exemptions to Annex IV
| Regulation # | Entry # | Exemption | Expiry Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| (EU) 2020/360 | 37 | Lead in platinized platinum electrodes used for conductivity measurements where at least one of the following conditions applies:
| 31 December 2025 |
| (EU)2020/364 | 44 | Cadmium in radiation tolerant video camera tubes designed for cameras with a centre resolution greater than 450 TV lines which are used in environments with ionising radiation exposure exceeding 100 Gy/hour and a total dose in excess of 100kGy | Applies to category 9. Expires on 31 March 2027 |
| (EU)2020/366 | 41 | Lead as a thermal stabiliser in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) used as base material in amperometric, potentiometric and conductometric electrochemical sensors which are used in in-vitro diagnostic medical devices for the analysis of blood and other body fluids and body gases | Expires on 31 March 2022 |
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