PMA UK Press Release

Manufacturers and importers are to be banned from bringing cameras and other photographic equipment made using lead solder into the UK after the end of June. According to the DTI, electrical and electronic products are “placed on the EU market” as soon as they leave the point of manufacture in the EU or clear customs in the EU and, with effect from July 1st, “placing them on the market” will be banned. However, provided no further work, of any sort, is performed on them after July 1st 2006 products already in stock in the UK can still be sold. The restrictions are contained in an EC directive which bans the use of lead solder and other materials in new electrical and electronic equipment and which has already led to the demise of cameras such as Hasselblad’s XPan and Pentax’s 67 and 645 models.

PMA UK director Nigel McNaught explained that the directive, known as RoHS, “the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment”, imposed Europe wide restrictions on a whole range of electrical and electronic products.

Stressing that it was separate from the proposed WEEE regulations which deal with the disposal of waste electrical and electronic equipment in the UK, he said that it was crucial that no-one in the industry should forget that the RoHS restrictions would come into force whether or not WEEE was in place.

“The date the WEEE regulations will finally come into effect has not yet been fixed but the RoHS prohibition starts on July 1st,” he said, adding: “And that’s firm.”

Further information is available from www.rohs.gov.uk.