Text 29348, 53 rader
Skriven 2012-05-31 22:03:25 av Richard Webb (1:116/901.0)
  Kommentar till text 29341 av Michiel van der Vlist (2:280/5555)
Ärende: Dutch parliament officially rejects ACTA
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Hello Michiel,

On Thu 2012-May-31 21:27, Michiel van der Vlist (2:280/5555) wrote to Richard
Webb:

 RW> To wit, lead free solder.  Bad idea!  LEss reliable
 RW> electronics because the eu wants lead free solder.  <oh
 RW> well> 'nuff said.

MvdV> Bad idea? Not at all!

MvdV> We banned lead water pipes. We banned lead in paint. We banned
MvdV> leaded fuel for cars. Because we learned the hard way that it will
MvdV> end up in the environment and what enters the environment will
MvdV> eventually enter our bodies where it is harmful.

Maybe, but that transition period is going to cause some
real headaches, if it ever ends.  Beyond that, if
intelligently manufactured, and disposed of that lead
doesn't pose that great a risk imho.  But, there's the rub,
intelligent disposal.

MvdV> Yes, there are transition problems. The technology will just have
MvdV> to adapt. And of course the industry will moan and groan. Just
MvdV> like they moaned and groaned over the cost of replacing led pipes
MvdV> with copper. Just like they complained when a replacement for lead
MvdV> in fuel had to be found. And as always the problems were
MvdV> eventually solved.

Many of us that use electronics in our livelihood find the
premature failure of equipment a real pita however.  Sure
would have been nice to give  the manufacturers, and those
of us who depend on their products for our livelihood a bit
of future proofing in the form of a drop dead date in the
farther future when techniques that are reliable can be
developed.  I can understand the immediate mandate on lead
water pipes, after all everybody drinks water that passes
through them, but this one carries too high a price tag for
those of us saddled with unreliable equipment made using
lead free solder.

MvdV> The same will happen with lead free solder and in the end we will
MvdV> have a better world.

Maybe, we'll still be throwing away a lot of stuff with
other dangerous chemical involved in it just because it no
longer works.  The key is intelligent disposal imho.


Regards,
           Richard
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 * Origin:  (1:116/901)