Lead in Prod 1-14

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High Tech Industrys

Use of Chemicals in Products Why certain substances are used

What are their environmental impacts?

Are their alternatives?

Challenges

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Summary of Lead Use in

Electronics Percent of societal lead usage is small

No studies link environmental or human

health risks to lead use in electronics

No drop in replacement for lead that is

hazard-free

Industry is working to research suitable

alternatives

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Hazard vs. Risk

Hazard measures the intrinsic characteristics of a

substance in a controlled setting such as a

laboratory

Exposure assess how human beings and otherorganisms come into contact with the substance

Risk combines hazard and exposure to asses the

potential effect the substance will have on anorganism or group or organisms

Without exposure, there is no risk, no matter how

high the hazards

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Lead Use in Electronics

How much lead is used?

Why do we use lead in high tech products?

What are the environmental impacts oflead?

Are there alternatives? What are their

environmental impacts?

Key challenges to reducing lead use

Examples of industry efforts on lead use

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What is lead and why is it used?

Naturally-occurring raw material that has been

used in many products throughout human history

due to its special properties

Used and recycled in: batteries for automobiles

industrial lift trucks and other equipment

X-ray and radiation shielding

Used in electronics because it is uniquely capableof meeting the stringent performance standards

required by current technology

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6Source: World Semiconductor Council 2001: Lead-Free White Paper; andSmith, Gerald R., Lead Recycling in the United States in 1998, FLOW STUDIES FOR RECYCLING METALCOMMODITIES IN THE UNITED STATES, http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/lead/380400.pdf

How Much Lead is Used?

80.8%

9.2%

4.7%

3.0%

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Major applications of lead in high

tech equipment Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) televisions and computer

monitors: used for radiation shielding

Tin/Lead solder: used to join chips and components to

printed circuit boards

Printer and computer cables: used as stabilizer in some

PVC cables

Batteries

previously used in laptop power supplies

small sealed lead acid batteries used to power UPS devices and

emergency lighting because both applications need to be in

constantly charged state without battery charge deterioration

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Lead in CRTs 3% of US lead consumption is oxides in glass and

ceramics (includes CRTs and other uses) Reduced to minimum amount for effective x-ray

shielding; encased in glass matrix

Found in 4 major areas of CRT (range 8 - 35 and above) Funnel Glass 1 - 9 lbs

Frit (Solder Glass)- 0.057 - 0.215 lbs

Panel Glass - used by 25% of industry 0.2 - 2.0 lbs

Neck Glass 0.027 - 0.054 lbs

Range of total lead in CRTs: 1.08 -9.27 lbs

Average CRT: 18, 2.16 - 2.59 lbs lead

Sources: EIA Survey of CRT Glass Manufacturing Industry; and

Smith, Gerald R., Lead Recycling in the United States in 1998, FLOW STUDIES FOR RECYCLING METAL COMMODITIES

IN THE UNITED STATES, http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/lead/380400.pdf

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Inside a Cathode Ray Tube Display

Frit

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Lead in Solder

Comprises 0.7% total weight of a typical

printed circuit board

Accounts for 0.5% of US lead usage

Used in tin-lead solder to join chips and

components to circuit boards

Widely used due to its relatively lowmelting temperature and other unique

characteristics

References: Alternative Technologies for Surface Finishing (EPA/744-R-01-001) June 2001, available at

www.epa.gov/dfe

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Lead in PVC Cable

Used as a plastic stabilizer in some PVC

applications.

to prevent breakdown of the plastic cable due to

ultraviolet exposure and high heat.

In a 10 ft cable, 0.00024 ounces of lead is

used

As used in PVC cable, lead does not present

an exposure potential

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What are the Environmental

Impacts of Lead in Products? Centers for Disease Controls list of

potential exposures to lead

Eating food or drinking water that contains lead

Spending time in areas where lead-based paints have

been used and are deteriorating

Working in a job where lead is used

Using health-care products or folk remedies that

contain lead

Engaging in certain hobbies in which lead is used (for

example, stained glass).http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/phs13.html

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Environmental Impacts of Lead in Products:

Lead in Landfills Concern that lead from products in landfills

will enter the soil or water

No studies demonstrate this link

Despite industry and government efforts, some

electronics are disposed in regulated landfills

EPA: electronics compose 1% of municipal solid

waste in the US* No studies demonstrate environmental or human

health risk posed by electronic products in

landfills*Source: EPA, http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/muncpl/report-00/report-00.pdf Municipal

Solid Waste in The United States: 2000 Facts and Fi ures

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Lead in Landfills Palo Alto Landfill Study Findings:

20 - 100 thousand CRTs disposed over 20

year period State Water Board tests demonstrated no

lead leakage in monitoring wells

Lead not a significant presence in the leachate

(detected only at levels 500 times lower than

EPA actionable level)Source: Akatiff, Clark, Is this Landfill Ban Really Necessary?

http://www.westp2net.org/archive/Is%20this%20ban%20necessary%20CRT%20.doc

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Environmental Impacts of Lead in Products:Sources of Lead found in U.S. Landfills in

1988, NUS Study for EPA

4 8 %

3 6 %

4 %

1 2 %

B a t t e r i e s

T V s a n d C R T s

C o n s u m e r E le c tr o n ic s

O t h e r

NUS Corporation, Summary of Data on Municipal Solid Waste Landfill Leachate Characteristics,prepared for the U. S. EPA, 1988.

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Sources of Lead found in U.S. Landfills NUS Corporation reported lead concentrations

from 139 leachate samples from 45 MSW sites.

None of the samples would be classified ashazardous wastes regarding lead according to the

RCRA Toxicity regulations.

Elevated lead in landfill for 2 sites linked to large

quantities of industrial waste deposited there.

NUS Corporation, Summary of Data on Municipal Solid Waste Landfill Leachate Characteristics,prepared for the U. S. EPA, 1988.

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Are electronics workers exposed to lead? Lead is not absorbed through the skin (dermal)

Exposure must therefore be through be through inhalation

or ingestion

Inhalation:

Lead fumes do not form in atmospheric pressure below 600 F

Air monitoring by State OSHA agencies indicates that inhalation

of lead particulate in electronics manufacturing operations is not

significant

Ingestion

Prevented through standard practices of hand-washing and glove

wearing.

Source: http://www.epa.gov/dfe/pubs/pwb/ctsasurf/download/pdf/exec-sum.pdf

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Are there practical alternatives? CRTs: There are currently no alternatives to lead in the frit, funnel,

and neck of a CRT

Tin/lead solder:

No single drop-in alternative with same performance

characteristics

Alternatives in development: Silver, Copper, Bismuth, Indium, Tin None without hazards and possibly risks

PVC: eliminated by some PVC cable manufacturers where it is not

needed for moisture protection

There are no suitable alternatives for lead when needed for

moisture protection. Batteries:

Lithium ion batteries have replaced lead batteries in mobile

computing applications (i.e. laptops)

No viable substitute for lead acid batteries used in Uninterruptible

Power Supplies

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Impacts of Alternatives

Lifecycle impacts are key!

Design, Use, and End-of-Life

Is alternative better for environment?

Can it meet same functionality requirements?

Will it decrease product safety or reliability?

What are the tradeoffs?

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Alternatives Case Study:

Challenges to Lead-Free SolderFour major challenges to eliminating

lead in solder

1. Definitions

2. Lifecycle Environmental and Human

Health Impacts of Alternatives

3. Scarcity of Alternatives

4. Functionality and Reliability

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1. Definitions: What is meant by

lead-free solder? Because of natural contaminant, it is

impossible to completely eliminate lead

Lead-free: level of intentionally addedlead is reduced to minute amount

Threshold definition under development

Consumer assurance

Are they actually getting lead-free products?

2 E i t l I t f

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2. Environmental Impacts of

Tin/Lead Solder AlternativesSubstance Hazard Characteristics

Silver

Long term exposure: arygria, a blue-gray discoloration of skin and bodytissues

Inhalation has resulted in breathing problems, lung and throat irritation, andstomach pains. Skin contact with silver can cause mild allergic reactions such

as rash, swelling, and inflammation in some people

Copper Long-term exposure to copper dust can irritate your nose, mouth, and eyes,and cause headaches, dizziness, nausea, and diarrhea.

Drinking water with higher than normal levels of copper may causevomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, and nausea. Intentionally high intakes ofcopper can cause liver and kidney damage and even death.

Tin Large amounts can cause stomachaches, anemia, and liver and kidneyproblems

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts132.html

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/phs146.html

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts55.html

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2. Environmental Impacts of

Tin/Lead Solder Alternatives Need to screen alternative compounds to ensure

that they are environmentally preferable to lead

throughout the product lifecycle- design, use and

disposition

Higher manufacturing temperatures required for

tin/lead free solder alloys = higher energy

consumption Alternative solders may increase recycling costs

Multiple alternatives would require sorting, create impurity issues,

decreasing economies of scale

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World reserves of Ag, Bi, In, Sb are significantly

less than lead and tin

Lead mining for storage batteries, paints,ceramics, chemicals, etc. will continue

Alternative metals such as Ag, Bi and Sb are

mined with lead

Source: Turbini, Laura, The Real Environmental Cost of Lead-Free Soldering

www.cmap.ca

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http:// minerals. usgs. gov/ minerals/ pubs/ mcs/

Metal World Reserves

(thousand metrictons)

Antimony

(Sb)

3,200

Bismuth (Bi) 260

Tin (Sn) 12,000

Indium (In) 6

Silver (Ag) 420

Lead (Pb) 140,000

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4. Functionality and Reliability

Impacts

Reliability: alternatives could decrease product safety

Tin/Lead solder used for 50+ years, need more

time to understand lead free solders

Many electronic devices are depended upon for

critical applications: Military, Safety monitoring,

Food quality, Transportation (air, sea, ground) Risk to using more than one alternative

global transition requires a concerted effort by

supply-chain members, inventory managers,

production facilities, and rework and repairfacilities

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Social Responsibility:

Industry in Transition Despite lack of evidence on impacts, high

tech industry is sensitive to public concerns

over possible health effects of lead use

Many companies striving to reduce or

eliminate lead where technically feasible

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Examples of Industry Efforts to

Reduce Lead Use In the CRT glass industry, 75% of glass manufacturers in

North America have phased out the use of lead in panel

glass

Lead acid and nickel-cadmium batteries that were once

used in PCs and have largely been replaced with lithium

ion batteries, which are non-toxic Industry is working with US EPA to evaluate the

environmental impacts of the alternatives to lead solder

Leaded glass in camera lenses has been eliminated from

consumer digital cameras

Sources: EIA Survey of CRT Glass Manufacturing Industry; and

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Examples of Industry Efforts to

Reduce Lead Use NEMI

HDPUG

IPC

Other research consortia

Lead in Prod 1-14

Documents