High Tech Industrys Use of Chemicals in Products

Why certain substances are used What are their environmental impacts? Are their alternatives? Challenges

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 other organisms come into contact with the substance Risk combines hazard and exposure to asses the potential effect the substance will have on an organism 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 of lead? 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 capable of meeting the stringent performance standards required by current technology
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How Much Lead is Used?

Major Uses of Lead
< 0 .5 % 9 .2 % 4 .7 % 3 .0 %

8 0 .8 %

B a tte r ie s O x id e s in C e r a m ic s , G la s s A m m u n itio n O th e r U s e s P a in t E le c tr o n ic S o ld e r

Lead in Solder comprises 0.5% of total US lead consumption 3% of US lead consumption is oxides in glass and ceramics (includes CRTs and other uses)

Source: World Semiconductor Council 2001: Lead-Free White Paper; and 6 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

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 8 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

Inside a Cathode Ray Tube Display

Frit

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 low melting temperature and other unique characteristics
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References: Alternative Technologies for Surface Finishing (EPA/744-R-01-001) June 2001, available at www.epa.gov/dfe

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).
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http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/phs13.html

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 13
*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 Figures;

Environmental Impacts of Lead in Products: Palo Alto Landfill Study Findings:

20 - 100 thousand CRTs disposed over 20 year period

Lead in Landfills

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
12% 4%

48%

36%

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

B a t t e r ie s T Vs an d C R T s C o n s u m e r E le c t r o n ic s O th e r

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Environmental Impacts of Lead in Products:

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 as hazardous 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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Environmental Impacts of Lead in Products:

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 18 Power Supplies

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 Solder

Four 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 added lead is reduced to minute amount
Threshold definition under development

Consumer assurance
Are they actually getting lead-free products?
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2. Environmental Impacts of Tin/Lead Solder Alternatives Substance Hazard Characteristics

Silver Copper
Long term exposure: arygria, a blue-gray discoloration of skin and body tissues Inhalation has resulted in breathing problems, lung and throat irritation, and stomach pains. Skin contact with silver can cause mild allergic reactions such as rash, swelling, and inflammation in some people 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 cause vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, and nausea. Intentionally high intakes of copper can cause liver and kidney damage and even death. Large amounts can cause stomachaches, anemia, and liver and kidney problems

Tin

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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3. Scarcity of Alternatives
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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3. Scarcity of Alternatives
Metal World Reserves (thousand metric tons) 3,200

Antimony (Sb) Bismuth (Bi) Tin (Sn) Indium (In) Silver (Ag) Lead (Pb)

260 12,000 6 420 140,000

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

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 repair facilities

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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
28 Sources: EIA Survey of CRT Glass Manufacturing Industry; and

Examples of Industry Efforts to Reduce Lead Use

NEMI HDPUG IPC Other research consortia

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