Today, at work, the subject of eliminating the use of halogen compounds came up. In our line of work, semiconductors, these are found in the plastic which encapsulates the die (the die is the working part of an integrated circuit). It was said that the move to get rid of the halogens is because of pressure that Greenpeace has been putting on Intel and other electronics companies to do the same.

The only thing that I know about this initiative is what I read on the Internet earlier today: Greenpeace ranks electronics companies on their eco-friendliness. Some European cell-phone manufacturers have gotten very good ratings, whereas Sony has been heavily criticized. An electronic components manufacturer would feel a "trickle down effect" in that if it wants to supply parts to a consumer electronics manufacturer who has a good rating with Greenpeace, then that components manufacturer is going to want to do anything that it can to reassure its customer that its components won't put the customer's good standing in jeopardy. As Greenpeace is not a governmental body with policymaking powers, their tactics come off to me like a form of blackmail.

More importantly, I am concerned about the validity of the scientific claims behind this pressure. If the halogen compounds are indeed depleting the ozone layer or causing other harm AND replacement chemistries are more benign, then and only then the halogens should go. Otherwise, this is at best a big waste of time and money. Does anybody know what the truth is here? This almost sounds like a question for Dr. Bill Wattenberg.

Are these the same compounds used to create the halogen light bulbs?

If Greenpeace is against it, we should at least double our output of it!

So,what kind (brand) of computers,cellphones,etc. does Greenpeace use?

Intel? Sony?

I don't know whether they are the same compounds that are found inside of halogen light bulbs. The only targets that I have heard of so far are plastic packages for semiconductor devices and PVC in wire insulation. I have no clue what the scope of this push will be: any compound that contains fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, or astatine is a "halogen compound."