Get the lead out

Business | Mindless environmentalism threatens to undermine electronics industry | Mark Bergin

Environmentalists will cheer July 1 with the advent of the European Union's RoHS Directive, legislation banning hazardous materials in electronic devices sold throughout Europe. Many uninformed mothers may applaud also as their children's handheld gaming units and MP3 players boast new safety standards and can safely be called "green."

But manufacturers worldwide, including many in the United States, are pumping billions of dollars into testing new materials and converting assembly lines on a whim of ecological alarmism. The inclusion of lead among the banned substances renders the EU directive especially broad: Global use of tin-lead solder in electronics totals close to 200 million pounds per year.

Conservative estimates suggest such an industry-wide overhaul will increase consumer prices 10 percent as companies seek to recover the massive financial losses needed for conversion to lead-free alternatives. Meanwhile, product reliability could plummet.