267049 Addressing Hazardous Chemicals in Electronic Products through Upstream Decisions

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Mark Rossi, PhD , 465 South 15th Street, Clean Production Action, Medford, CA
The most effective means for addressing hazardous chemicals in electronic products is in the design and material selection phases. Increasingly leaders in the electronics sector are identifying hazardous chemicals in their products, implementing programs to identify alternatives, and selecting safer alternatives for their products. Best practices in alternatives assessment in the electronics, as well as other sectors, are serving as the model for how to avoid regrettable substitutions. This work is being integrated into: international initiatives through the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM), national/regional initiatives in Europe and the U.S., as well as in state initiatives in California and Washington. The presentation will cover: the practice of alternatives assessment, selection of safer alternatives to hazardous chemicals in the electronics sector, and policy initiatives to advance this work.

Learning Areas:
Occupational health and safety
Public health or related public policy
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health

Learning Objectives:
1. Understand best practices in the electronics, and other sectors, in managing chemicals in products. 2. Develop skills for selecting safer alternatives to hazardous chemicals in electronics products. 3. Know opportunities for engaging in alternatives assessment at the international, national, and state levels.

Keywords: Cancer Prevention, Prevention

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am Research Director at Clean Production Action and have been working on issues of environmental design and alternatives assessment for many years. I have a PhD from MIT.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4057.0: Hazardous Chemicals in Electronics: Occupational Health Issues and Policy Recommendations