IEC Publishes Test Standards for Hexavalent Chromium and Phthalates in Polymers in EE

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) has published two new test standards for hazardous substances in electrical and electronic (EE) equipment.

Published on March 28, 2017, the two standards are:

• IEC 62321-7-2:2017
• IEC 62321-8:2017

IEC 62321-7-2:2017 replaces IEC 62321:2008 (Annex C) and it describes procedures to measure hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI), quantitatively in samples of polymers and electronics. The method employs an organic solvent to dissolve or swell the sample matrix, followed by an alkaline digestion procedure to extract Cr(VI) from samples. This method has been shown to be more efficient than the previous version using only alkaline solution extraction.

IEC 62321-8:2017 specifies two normative and two informative techniques for the determination of phthalates in polymers of electrotechnical products. These phthalates are:

• Di-isobutyl phthalate (DIBP)
• Di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP)
• Benzylbutyl phthalate (BBP)
• Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP)
• Di-n-octyl phthalate (DNOP)
• Di-isononyl phthalate (DINP)
• Di-iso-decyl phthalate (DIDP)

IEC 62321 was originally introduced by the IEC as a testing method for hazardous substances in EE products in 2008. Initially, the first edition was a ‘stand-alone’ standard, which included test methods for determining levels of lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium contained in inorganic and organic compounds, and two types of brominated flame retardants, polybrominated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers, contained in electrotechnical products.

Since then, IEC 62321 has been combined with IEC/PAS 62596 and subdivided into 9 parts. The currently published parts are:

• IEC 62321-1:2013 Introduction and overview
• IEC 62321-2:2013 Disassembly, disjointment and mechanical sample preparation
• IEC 62321-3-1:2013 Screening – Lead, mercury, cadmium, total chromium and total bromine by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry
• IEC 62321-3-2:2013 Screening – Total bromine in polymers and electronics by Combustion – Ion Chromatography
• IEC 62321-4:2013 Mercury in polymers, metals and electronics by CV-AAS, CV-AFS, ICP-OES and ICP-MS
• IEC 62321-5:2013 Cadmium, lead and chromium in polymers and electronics and cadmium and lead in metals by AAS, AFS, ICP-OES and ICP-MS
• IEC 62321-6:2015 Polybrominated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers in polymers by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)
• IEC 62321-7-1:2015 Hexavalent chromium – Presence of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) in colourless and coloured corrosion-protected coatings on metals by the colorimetric method
• IEC 62321-7-2:2017 Hexavalent chromium - Determination of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) in polymers and electronics by the colorimetric method
• IEC 62321-8:2017 Phthalates in polymers by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry using a pyrolyzer/thermal desorption accessory (Py-TD-GC-MS)

The IEC is currently forecasting publishing dates in 2017 and 2018 for the final two sections.

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Li Li
Technical Support, EET RSTS
Tel: +86 21 61405135
Email: cts.media@sgs.com
Website: www.sgs.com/ee

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This release was published on openPR.