Commission Decision 2009/428/EC and 2009/443/EC amending Directive 2002/95/EC (RoHS Directive) was published in June 2009 to replace the point 22 and grants further RoHS exemptions for lead cadmium and mercury.

Having carried out the required technical and scientific assessment, the Commission considers that RIG (rare earth iron garnet) Faraday rotators which meet the maximum concentration values set by Directive 2002/95/EC are currently available and the exemption should be reviewed. In 2009/428/EEC, point 22 is replaced by the following:

22. Lead as impurity in RIG (rare earth iron garnet) Faraday rotators used for fibre optic communication systems until 31 December 2009.

There are new added 6 items in 2009/443/EC. The following RoHS-exempted applications:

33. Lead in solders for the soldering of thin copper wires of 100 μm diameter and less in power transformers.
34. Lead in cermet-based trimmer potentiometer elements.
35. Cadmium in photoresistors for optocouplers applied in professional audio equipment until 31 December 2009.
36. Mercury used as a cathode sputtering inhibitor in DC plasma displays with a content up to 30 mg per display until 1 July 2010.
37. Lead in the plating layer of high voltage diodes on the basis of a zinc borate glass body.
38. Cadmium and cadmium oxide in thick film pastes used on aluminium bonded beryllium oxide.

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