RoHS Compliant Fiber Optic Products
Because of its abundance, low cost and physical properties, lead and lead components have been used in a variety of products throughout the world. Nonetheless, lead is a highly toxic metal found in the earth’s crust and is known to have many health risks. Other harmful chemicals include Mercury, Cadmium, Hexavalent Chromium, Polybrominated Phenyls and Polybrominated Di. One thing that these chemicals have in common is that they are all included in some fiber optic products, such as fiber optic adapters, fiber optic patch cords, fiber optic connectors and fiber optic patch panels.
The Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive or RoHS was adopted by the European Union to help reduce damage to people and the environment in third-world countries where much of the today’s electronic waste ends up. The use of lead free solders and components has provided immediate health benefits to electronic industry workers in prototype and manufacturing operations. Contact with solder paste no longer exists as a health hazard as it did before. In addition to the high-tech trash problem, RoHS reflects contemporary research over the past 50 years in biological toxicology that acknowledges the long-term effects of low-level chemical exposure on populations. New testing is capable of detecting much smaller concentrations of environmental toxins. Researchers are associating these exposures with neurological, developmental, and reproductive changes.
Not only are RoHS compliant products environmentally friendly but they have better flow properties and assembly benefits as well. Lead-free solder tends to stay in place where it is in a liquid state and only attaches itself to exposed metal surfaces where the liquid solder touches it. On the other hand, lead-containing solder has a higher surface tension which allows metal to attach itself to any part of the liquid solder.
With this said, it is absolutely essential to seek fiber optic products from a company that is RoHS compliant. As previously mentioned, fiber optic products do not have to sacrifice performance and in some cases can gain performance enhancing characteristics.