Editing RoHS (section)

=== Life-cycle impact assessment of lead-free solder ===
The [[United States Environmental Protection Agency]] (EPA) has published a [[life-cycle assessment]] (LCA) of the environmental impacts of lead-free and tin–lead [[solder]], as used in electronic products.<ref name="EPALifecycle">[http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/dfe/pubs/solder/lca/index.htm] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140314205628/http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/dfe/pubs/solder/lca/index.htm|date=14 March 2014}}</ref> For bar solders, when only lead-free solders were considered, the tin/copper alternative had the lowest (best) scores. For paste solders, [[bismuth]]/[[tin]]/silver had the lowest impact scores among the lead-free alternatives in every category except [[non-renewable resource]] consumption. For both paste and bar solders, all of the lead-free solder alternatives had a lower (better) LCA score in toxicity categories than tin/lead solder. This is primarily due to the toxicity of lead, and the amount of lead that leaches from printed wiring board assemblies, as determined by the leachability study conducted by the partnership. The study results are providing the industry with an objective analysis of the life-cycle environmental effects of leading candidate alternative lead-free solders, allowing industry to consider environmental concerns along with the traditionally evaluated parameters of cost and performance. This assessment is also allowing industry to redirect efforts toward products and processes that reduce solders' environmental footprint, including energy consumption, releases of toxic chemicals, and potential risks to human health and the environment. Another life-cycle assessment by IKP, University of Stuttgart, shows similar results to those of the EPA study.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://leadfree.ipc.org/files/RoHS_15.pdf |title=IKP, Department of Life-Cycle Engineering |publisher=Leadfree.ipc.org |access-date=3 July 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090225155540/http://leadfree.ipc.org/files/RoHS_15.pdf |archive-date=25 February 2009}}</ref>