EU - Draft Amendment on RoHS Exemption Regarding the Use of Mercury in HPS Lamps

​The draft Commission Delegated Directive amends Annex III to Directive 2011/65/EU (RoHS 2 Directive). The amendment concerns an exemption for specified applications containing mercury in high pressure sodium (HPS) lamps with improved color rendering index for general lighting purpose (Annex III, exemption 4b entries I to III)

The current exemption is as follows:

4(b) Mercury in high pressure sodium (vapor) lamps for general lighting purposes not exceeding (per burner) in lamps with improved color rendering index Ra >60:

- 4(b)-I - P ≤ 155 W - No limitation of use until December 31, 2011; 30 mg may be used per burner after December 31, 2011

- 4(b)- II - 155 W < P ≤ 405 W - No limitation of use until December 31, 2011; 40 mg may be used per burner after December 31, 2011

- 4(b)-III - P > 405 W - No limitation of use until December 31, 2011; 40 mg may be used per burner after December 31, 2011​​​

The Commission received one application to renew the exemption in 2015 and carried out assessment until 2020, leads to the following conclusions:

- Mercury cannot be substituted in HPS (vapor) lamps with color rendering index >80, below 105W and with mercury limit of 16 mg, which effectively means that exemption 4(b) should be partly renewed as alternatives, do not currently provide the relevant red part of the spectrum that is essential for this type of lamps

- there are suitable alternatives for HPS (vapor) lamps with improved color rendering index Ra>60: P≤ 155 W, which effectively means that exemptions entry 4(b)-I is partly no longer needed, while entry 4(b) -II can be fully revoked as those lamps were being replaced by mercury-free LED lamps

- entry 4(b)-III should be revoked as manufacturers no longer place those lamps on the market; hence the exemption has become obsolete

The proposed amendment for exemption 4(b) is as follows:

- 4(b) Mercury in high pressure sodium (vapor) lamps for general lighting purposes not exceeding (per burner) in lamps with improved color rendering index Ra >80: P ≤ 105 W: 16 mg may be used per burner, expires five years after the date of adoption

- 4(b)-I - Mercury in high pressure sodium (vapor) lamps for general lighting purposes not exceeding (per burner) in lamps with improved color rendering index Ra >60: P ≤ 155 W: 30 mg may be used per burnerr, expires 12 months after the date of adoption

- 4(b)- II - Mercury in high pressure sodium (vapor) lamps for general lighting purposes not exceeding (per burner) in lamps with improved color rendering index Ra >60: 155 W < P ≤ 405 W: 40 mg may be used per burner, expires 12 months after the date of adoption

- 4(b)-III - Mercury in high pressure sodium (vapor) lamps for general lighting purposes not exceeding (per burner) in lamps with improved color rendering index Ra >60: P > 405 W: 40 mg may be used per burner, expires 12 months after the date of adoption

The draft act is open for feedback for 4 weeks until July 26, 2021