Endress+Hauser is leaving the 'Lead Age' behind. The company has been working hard at eliminating the toxic heavy metal from all of its electronic components - voluntarily implementing a new European Union directive. Endress+Hauser has successfully reduced its consumption of lead from approximately one and a half tons per annum to only a few kilograms per year. Klaus Endress, CEO of the worldwide group, is pleased to announce: "We are facing up to our responsibilities as a company and reducing the burden on the environment".
The RoHS directive ("The restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment") addresses this issue. Since July 2006 it has forbidden the use of certain hazardous substances and forced the electronics industry to find lead-free alternatives for the most important method of connection - soldering. As a manufacturer of measuring equipment, Endress+Hauser claims to be exempt from these requirements. "But we want to meet the requirements of the RoHS directive voluntarily - for the sake of the environment and our health," states Klaus Endress.
Lead is particularly dangerous because the human body accumulates this harmful substance. With time even small doses can therefore lead to lead poisoning: the heavy metal disrupts the process of the formation of blood, high concentrations damage the nervous system and, in severe cases, result in death. Nowadays a significant source of lead pollution in the environment is the incorrect disposal of electronic devices. These contain the heavy metal as a component of the solder. Acid rain can leach out the lead - so that it finally seeps into the ground water.
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