From: Harvey Miller To: snipped-for-privacy@IPC.ORG, snipped-for-privacy@ec.europa.eu Cc: Robert Baer , Joseph Fjelstad , ray , John Burke , Walt Custer Subject: "Safe" recycling Printed Circuits to reclaim older--does that really justify Lead-Free? Date: Jul 17, 2006 7:28 AM
The latest lead-free rationalization claims that it makes recycling "safer". None other than Dr. Ron Lasky says so. One unintended consequence of l-f will demonstrate again how false is that assertion.
Silver in the mix will finally incentivize commercially viable recycling, that is true. But the enormous mass of legacy electronics with tin-lead solder is all around us. Even today, penetration of lead-free solder is probably still less than 50%. Some boards with lead will find their way into the same recycling plants as boards with silver.
Boards will be ground up and and the metal content melted out for separation of silver,lead, etc. Companies like Noranda have been doing this for many years. But there's an better example, primary silver extraction.
How is the tiny component of silver separated from the preponderant lead when they come all mixed from the mine? That the way it's done and with today's pollution controls, done safely to personnel and to the environment. Propagators of this latest lead-free lie will have a hard time proving otherwise.
The real toll to the environment of their lead-free efforts will be an enormous increase in mining of silver and tin to replace lead. They have the gall to claim that they are care about safety or the environment.