Japan Passes Appliance Hazardous Material Regulation Jun 17, 2005

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Japan's Environment Ministry passed a regulation that will take effect in 2006, which limits the use of lead, mercury, and four other harmful substances in large home appliances and personal computers, according to ministry officials.

The regulation will require appliance makers to inform consumers if products have excessive amounts of the substances, which also include cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyl, and polybrominated diphenyl ether, the officials said.

The regulation may be applied to imported products as well, they said.

Manufacturers will be expected to display the information on product stickers, packages, and manuals. According to the Ministry, this will help prevent the harmful substances from being released into the environment when recycling.

Once the regulation takes effect, the banned substances will only be allowed to be used in exceptional cases, such as when alternative substances are unavailable. (The Japan Times)

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