Dale, Not only are the environmental issues with the new materials not understood what about the effect on the environment from all the additional energy that is required for the higher temperature profiles. Since a lot of electricity is generated using coal and fossil fuels I would think that more greenhouse gasses wouldn't be good. Gee, I guess the EU never thought about that as a potential side effect! It's too bad they didn't put as much emphasis on recycling and material recovery as they did on mandating a total ban. My Tuesday $.02! KennyB -----Original Message----- ... And, on top of that, there are no long term studies on the effect of the new solder waste (tin, bismuth, silver, etc.) in the environment. It would appear that we are collectively jumping off the cliff again and hoping that there are soft bushes at the bottom to break our fall... Respectfully, Dale Ritzen Quality Manager AMS