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Hazardous Substance Detection

Accurate detection of hazardous substance levels in consumer goods is critical because of legislation passed on state and federal levels. The various legislations state acceptable levels of toxic metals and are important because the metals are exactly that…toxic. The regulated substances can cause developmental and health problems in children and adults through direct contact with goods containing the metals and through environmental contamination as a side effect of improper disposal.

 

Substances that are regulated include 
     Lead (Pb)
     Mercury (Hg)
     Cadmium (Cd)
     Hexavelent Chromium (CrVi)
     Polybrominated biphenyls (PBB)
     Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE)

 

The exact substances and acceptable levels (referred to in parts-per-million, ppm) vary by regulation/legislation.  
Common regulations/legislations that are discussed include:
     RoHS; Restrictions on Hazardous Substances
     WEEE; Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment
     Proposition-65 (a.k.a. Prop-65); California regulation
     Lead-Content in Jewelry; California regulation
     Toxics in Packaging Law; legislation adopted by fourteen states

 

Some organizations send product to outside laboratories for destructive testing and analysis. 
This approach, however, is not always preferred because of a few reasons:

 
X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) provides a non-destructive method of screening for hazardous substances and is priced so that organizations can have in-house control (plus, payment plans are available to limit costs). Skyray XRF offers portable and desktop options that measure below ppm levels required for compliance and utilizes ‘user-friendly’ software so that anybody with basic computer knowledge can perform the tests.
 
Regulations affect every aspect of an industry from the manufacturer through the distribution chain to the retailer/reseller. Hundreds of industries and thousands of product lines are affected by the various regulations including cosmetics, costume jewelry, toys and electronic goods.
 

Information on specific hazardous substance affects:
     Toy Industry
     Cosmetics

     Costume Jewelry

     Packaging

     Electronics

 

The two most commonly used Skyray XRF analyzers for accurate hazardous substance detection are:

RoHS Analyzers
EDX-2800 : Benchtop XRF
The lowest detection limits are available with this high performing XRF model.  Various features (camera system, sample alignment system) provide assurance that precise measurements are taken for every reading.
More Info...

            

Handheld XRF Tester
The Pocket : Handheld XRF
This mobile testing instrument allows for on-line testing and has no limit to sample size, shape or location!  The portable XRF is a great RoHS Screening tool for incoming/outgoing inspection.
More Info...

 

WEEE: Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment:
The WEEE Directive is a European directive that works together with RoHS Legislation to limit the environmental impact of electrical goods that reach the end of their lifespan.  WEEE imposes the responsibility for the disposal of waste electrical and electronic equipment on the manufacturers.  Companies are responsible for collecting goods and either disposing of them appropriately or reusing/refurbishing the goods.  Additional information can be reviewed at the Wikipedia Listing for WEEE.

 

 

Contact Skyray XRF if you have concerns 
over hazardous substance detection and how regulations may affect your product line.