The Czech government announced on July 27, 2020, Regulation No. 344/2020, amending Decree No. Regulation No. 481/2012.
This regulation was issued to implement a set of EU directives relating to exemption from restrictions on the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment.
Therefore, Regulation No. 344/2020 considers the following EU Directives.:
– Directive (EU) 2020/366 with regards to the exemption for use of lead as a thermal stabiliser in polyvinyl chloride used in certain in-vitro diagnostic medical devices for the analysis of blood and other body fluids and body gases;
– Directive (EU) 2020/360 with regards to the exemption for use of lead in platinized platinum electrodes used for certain conductivity measurements;
– Directive (EU) 2020/361 with regards to the exemption for use of hexavalent chromium as an anticorrosion agent of the carbon steel cooling system in absorption refrigerators;
– Directive (EU) 2020/365 with regard to the exemption for use of lead in solders and termination finishes used in certain hand-held combustion engines
– Directive (EU) 2020/364 with regard the exemption for the use of cadmium in certain radiation tolerant video camera tubes
In accordance with Decree No. 481/2012, Appendix II and III have been amended with respect to the following substances:
1. Appendix II
– Item 9: Hexavalent chromium as an anti-corrosion agent of the carbon steel cooling system in absorption refrigerators up to 0,75% by weight in the cooling solution.
– Item 9 a I and a II: Hwxavalent chromium up to 0,75% by weight, used as anti-corrosion agent in the cooling solution of carbon steel cooling systems in absorption refrigerators.
– Item 41: Lead in solders and termination finishes of electrical and electronic components and finishes of printed circuit boards used in ignition modules and other electical and electronic engine control systems, which for technical reasons must be mounted directly on or in the crankcase or cylinder of hand-held combustion engines
2. Appendix III
– Item 37: LEad in platinized platinum electrodes used for conductivity measurements
– Item 41: Lead as a thermal stabiliser in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) used as base material in amperometric, potentiometric and conductometric electrochemical sensors which are used in in-vitro diagnostic medicla devices for the analysis of blood and other body fluids and body gases.
– Item 44: Cadmium in radiation tolerant video camera tubes designed for cameras with a center resolution greater thatn 450 TV lines which are used in environments with ionising radiation exposure exceeding 100 Gy/hour and a total dose in excess of 100kGy.
Except for the provisions of cadmium in radiation tolerant video camera tubes (item 44 of Annex III) effective September 1, 2020, the provisions of the other regulations are effective April 1, 2021.