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Definitions

California Proposition 65

Click here for our letter of explanation.

Chromates

Function as the post-plate added protection of zinc plated surfaces. They are commonly referred to as “conversion coatings,” since the treating solution converts the zinc surface to a complex coating. Chromates allow the finish to remain bright and stain-free in service, add decorative value with a choice of colors, in addition to providing increased corrosion protection.

ELV

The End of Life Vehicles Directive – addresses the issue of the recycling and/or disposal of automobiles at the end of their useful lives. This European Union directive requires that certain automotive products be free of mercury, cadmium and lead, and limits hexavalent chromium to 2.0 grams per vehicle for the purpose of corrosion protection only.

Hexavalent Chromium

has established itself as an extraordinarily effective (as well as inexpensive) corrosion inhibitor when applied to zinc substrates. Chromates for the post-plate protection of zinc-plated surfaces based on hexavalent chromium compounds were first patented in 1936. However, hexavalent chromium has long been recognized as toxic as well as hazardous (a strong oxidizer and corrosive) and a suspected carcinogen. There has been a great deal of research and experimentation regarding post-plate passivates for zinc that do not use hexavalent chromium. Recently, with high demand, trivalent chromates have been developed into strong commercial alternatives to hexavalent chromates.

REACH

REACH – Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, and Restriction of Chemical substances.  Information about this European Community Regulation may be found at ec.europa.eu/environment/chemicals/reach/reach_intro.htm.

RoHS Compliant

Effective July 1, 2006, the European Union required electronic products entering the EU market to be free of six specific hazardous substances (lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium VI aka hexavalent chrome) and the fire retardants PBB and PBDE. This regulation is referred to as the “Restriction of Hazardous Substances” or “RoHS directive.” The intended result of this legislation is to reduce the amount of these substances that are eventually returned to the environment when electronic products are discarded.
While most chromium plating is done from hexavalent solutions, the metal as plated has a zero valence and, as such, contains no Cr+6.

Trivalent Chromates

Improve the corrosion protection offered by zinc plating. An increasingly strong alternative to traditional hexavalent chromates, the trivalent products are not attributed with the harmful effects of the hexavalent form, and can now provide many of the same characteristics of their hexavalent predecessors

WEEE

Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment Directive. Together with RoHS, this directive became European law in 2003, establishing collection, recycling and recovery targets for all kinds of electrical goods.

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