My thanks to Nigel Burtt for providing the link to the EU press release
complaining about the lack of cooperation by eight member states in
fully transposing the RoHS and WEEE directives into national law. I
can't let this official statement by the EU go without commenting on it.

Commisioner Dimas says that the RoHS and WEEE directives are necessary
because nobody wants to see e-waste piling up along the roadside or
e-waste polluting the environment. He doesn't show, or even say, that
either of these is occurring, only that no one wants to see them. But if
they aren't occurring (which they aren't), then he has given no basis
for his statement of necessity. Even if those two concerns were true, it
doesn't follow that his solution would be the best solution. Maybe the
eight member states are tardy because they aren't as concerned as he is.


In an attempt to remind people of why they need these directives, the
press release states that "In the EU, electro-scrap is the fastest
growing waste stream, growing at 3-5% per year, which is three times
faster than average waste." What it doesn't say, not surprisingly, is
that electro-scrap constitutes only one percent of municipal solid waste
(in the US, presumably less in less-wealthy countries). The reported
growth rate, even if true, for such a small component of MSW is
insignificant, even if it were to continue to grow at that rate for many
years, which is hardly a sure thing.

It goes on to say that 90 percent of the electro-scrap is disposed of
without any pre-treatment, which "allows the substances it contains to
make their way into soil, water and air where they pose a risk to human
health." It also states "The banned substances include heavy metals and
a number of hazardous industrial chemicals" that "can cause" numerous
serious maladies. 

Note that it offers no evidence or even a rigorous argument that the
substances in electro-scrap are "making their way into soil, water and
air." It says that the substances in electro-scrap pose a risk of
harming human health, with no evidence or even a rigorous argument that
they actually are doing so. Evidence to the contrary has been presented
repeatedly in this forum. 

Interestingly, although it trots out the "running out of room" and
"public health risk" arguments, the press release does not even mention
the argument for sustainability, or as Brian prefers, stewardship. Even
in the WEEE preamble, which in fine print covers more than two pages,
the only reference I can find to that notion is the phrase "utilise
natural resources prudently and rationally." 

I'm all for that, and for similarly utilizing all other resources,
including money and time. It is not good stewardship to waste any
resources. 

Perhaps so little is said about stewardship because the politicians
decided that an appeal to fear rather than to altruism would be more
effective in getting public support. On that, they are probably right.

This press release is standard environmental activist "just-so"
rhetoric. To people who haven't investigated for themselves, the claims
sounds plausible and worrisome. This rhetoric is the best the activists,
skilled communicators, and their legislative co-conspirators, can come
up with. They offer no evidence or argument because they have none. 

But based on this shallow reasoning, the legislators of the European
Union have passed the RoHS and WEEE directives, thereby forcing the
beliefs (or at least the claims) of the activists on others around the
world. It has resulted in the expenditure of billions of corporate
dollars and euros and other currencies, and commensurate time, on
activities that, while providing jobs and job security to many
scientists, engineers, and businessmen, will save not even one life.
(While some claim that the real benefit is to future generations, the
extent of that benefit in the future compared to the cost today remains
unsubstantiated.) Think of all the lives that might have been saved had
that time and money been put to a better use.

 

Gordon Davy 

Baltimore, MD 

[log in to unmask]

410-993-7399 


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