Maker of Cadmium-free Quantum Dots Calls for Cadmium Ban

Despite its zealousness in many arenas, the European Union's Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive temporarily exempts certain substances critical to the electronics industry. For example, the directive assigned cadmium a maximum allowable level of only a tenth that for mercury and lead. However, because makers of quantum dots and other display technologies consider cadmium critical to product performance, the European Parliament voted to exempt the metal from complying through 2018. Now, efforts to extend the exemption have run into a snag. A company that makes cadmium-free quantum dots contends that the special treatment is no longer necessary and has called on the EU Parliament to allow it to expire, claiming comparable performance without the toxic exception.

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