The European Commission has made the decision to prohibit cadmium from displays and televisions sold in the region as part of its Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive.
The decision is subject to approval by the European Council and Parliament over the next few months and the ban would begin in October of 2019. Cadmium in lighting products will be banned immediately.
The European Commission has been debating the idea of prohibiting cadmium for a while as it is considered one of six hazardous substances banned from use in European electrical and electronic equipment by the RoHS Directive. This directive was designed to protect humans and the environment from hazardous heavy metals—cadmium is 10 times more toxic than mercury or lead.
Nanoco has been a champion of the move to ban the substance and also develops its own cadmium-free quantum dots for use in displays and TVs.
“This is a much-needed decision, which will provide market certainty as to the end date of cadmium use in TVs and displays, with immediate effect for lighting,” says Dr. Michael Edelman, CEO of Nanoco. “The European Commission is putting the health of consumers first and removing deadly cadmium from these household products in an expedited timeframe.”
Nanoco’s argument is that technology has reached a point where cadmium offers no real benefits to displays or TVs that can’t be found in safe and viable alternatives on the market.
