The following is an authorized quote:
Subject: Refernce SB 50---Lead-free solder in Medical, Monitoring, and Control Equipment From: "Harvey Miller" Date: Thu, May 25, 2006 7:57 pm To: "Jackie Speier" (more) Cc: "Ray Rasmussen" (more) Priority: Normal Options: View Full Header | View Printable Version
Senators
I've attached two documents from ERA Technology of the UK. One is the final report to the European Commission on the subject categories. The shorter document is the preliminary summary.
Below are the reasons that they should engage your interest.
- A basic assumption of bills 2202 in the California Assembly and 50 in the Senate is that we should tie ourselves to decisions and time tables determined in the European Union parliament. The immediate scope would be EU-mandated lead-free solder in electronics, but the implications for loss of control by California are wider.
- ERA Technology is a private consultancy, based in the UK, with offices worldwide, that historically has played a role analogous to the National Academies in the U.S. In the case of the European RoHS directive, it serves as contractor, objective investigatory resource to guide policy. Their report raises red flags about banning tin-lead solder in the subject electronic equipments.
- Categories 8 and 9, as briefly defined in the Subject, are presently excluded from RoHS and the lead ban. Reliability need that ERA cites for smoke detectors, radiotherapy, defibrillators, aircraft black boxes, pollution analyzers, retail weighing, blood pressure instrumentation, pacemakers, medical imaging--is incontrovertible. Reliability may not seem to be so critical for RoHS-covered consumer electronics, or isn't it?
In other words, Senators, the brief report from ERA focuses on acute threats to life from banning lead in solder in the Subject electronic equipment. But thereby it raises questions about reliability of all lead-free electronics. For example, do you want to lose your cell phone after dropping it or do you want all computer systems to be at risk?
Lead-free solder has many intrinsic failure mechanisms; tin whiskers are most predominant. Lead-free solder is more damaging to the environment. Replacement alloy silver and copper are toxic and much more soluble in water than lead and its alloys. Solder uses 0.5% of all lead. Electronics can be recycled; the lead in electronics can be recycled.
I would be happy to provide much more evidence about unreliability of lead-free solder, as well as its potential environmental and ecological damage. Worst is environmental and human damage from mining more tin.
Shortening product life cannot be good for the environment. Increasing energy usage and CO2 emissions due to higher temperatures required for lead-free solder cannot be good for the environment.
The entire move to lead-free solder is a prime example of a well-intentioned measure with horrible unintended consequences.
You can find more at .
Harvey Miller Palo Alto
650-328-4550