[time-nuts] RoHS Solder

Mike Monett xde-l2g3 at myamail.com
Fri Sep 25 00:48:31 UTC 2009


  SAIDJACK at aol.com wrote:

  > That's kind of part of the scam in my opinion, we now  create much
  > more electronic trash in the name of removing miniscule amounts of
  > environmentally unsafe lead from products..

  > Forget about  running your new Agilent counter for 25+  years like
  > we used to be able to do...

  > Another part  of  the  scam  is that  only  two  companies  (one a
  > University if  I remember correctly, one a Japanese  company) hold
  > the patents to the Silver based solder that everyone now  needs to
  > use... And  according  to the USGS we are quickly  running  out of
  > mineable Silver..

  It's even worse than it appears.

  If you consider the danger of drinking water from lead  pipes, there
  is clearly  some risk in disposing of lead in a  landfill.  Since it
  accumulates in the body, the EPA sets the MCLG limit at zero:

  http://www.epa.gov/safewater/contaminants/index.html

  The maximum  contaminant level goal or MCLG means the  maximum level
  of a contaminant in drinking water at which no known  or anticipated
  adverse effect  on  the  health of persons  would  occur,  and which
  allows an adequate margin of safety. Maximum contaminant level goals
  are nonenforceable health goals.

 
<http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=c941f8ad5ebba0e8e95aae4dc8a070e2&rgn=div5&view=text&node=40:22.0.1.1.3&idno=40#40:22.0.1.1.3.5.16.4>

  However, every  year,   approximately   800,000  tons  of automotive
  batteries enter the European Community market:

 
<http://epa.gov/oswer/international/factsheets/200806_tl-eu-directive-batteries-accumulators.htm>

  A European directive sets a target for the recycling of at least 65%
  by weight of lead-acid batteries by 26 September 2011:

 
<http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/environment/waste_management/l21202_en.htm>

  So each year, the remaining 0.35   *  800000  =  280,000  tons would
  presumably end up in landfill somewhere.

  It is  difficult to see how the amount used in electronics  can even
  remotely compare with the amount involved in illegal disposal of car
  batteries.

  Mike




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