The RoHS Directive stands for "the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment". This Directive bans the placing on the EU market of new electrical and electronic equipment containing more than agreed levels of:
lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants.

Manufacturers need to understand the requirements of the RoHS Directive to ensure that their products, and their components, comply.
The RoHS Regulations implement the provisions of the European Parliament and Council Directive on the Restrictions of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (2002/95/EC) in order to: protect human health and the environment by restricting the use of certain hazardous substances in new equipment; and complement the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive (2002/96/EC).

Timescale

The RoHS Regulations came into force on 1 July 2006.

RoHS Compliance By Suppliers

Most downloadable information is in a PDF format and require "Adobe Acrobat   Reader" for viewing the information