Penalties for Four Phthalates

At the beginning of June, the EU Commission updated Directive (EU) 2015/863 on limiting the use of specific dangerous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (Implementing Directive RoHS), supplementing it with the following four phthalates:

  • Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP): max 0.1%;
  • Benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP): max 0.1%;
  • Dibutyl phthalate (DBP): max 0.1%;
  • Diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP): max 0.1%.

All four substances are suspected of affecting hormonal activity. These plasticizers are found in almost all electronic devices that contain PVC, such as computers, headphones, and hair dryers.

In the Directive, the authors emphasize clearly that substitutes with less-harmful effects are available for most electric and electronic devices. For medical, measurement, and control devices, the regulation goes into effect in July 2021.

If the changes affect you and you have questions, please contact us as reach@kft.de.

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