RoHS

The Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive 2002/95/EC (RoHS 1), short for Directive on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment, was adopted in February 2003 by the European Union. The initiative was to limit the amount of hazardous chemicals in electronics. The RoHS 1 directive took effect on 1 July 2006, and is required to be enforced and became a law in each member state. The directive restricts (with exceptions) the use of ten hazardous materials in the manufacture of various electronic and electrical equipment. In addition to the exceptions, there are exclusions for products such as solar panels. It is closely linked with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE) 2002/96/EC (now superseded) which sets collection, recycling, and reclamation goals for electrical goods and is part of a legislative initiative to solve the problem of huge amounts of toxic electronic waste. In speech, RoHS is often spelled out, or pronounced , , , or , and refers to the EU standard, unless otherwise qualified.