EUROPE - Legislative action in Europe that is being adopted in California and other states is changing the way many manufacturers are making equipment. In the HVACR sector, the changes are most directly affecting the production of refrigerators and freezers.
The legislation in question is called Restriction of the use of certain Hazardous Substances (RoHS) and it has been adopted by the European Union. It bans, in Europe, "the marketing after July 1, 2006 of any electrical or electronic equipment that contains lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, or the flame retardants polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) and polybrominated dypheny ether (PBDE)."