Environmental Pollution PCB manufacturing
For example, let us consider the epoxy board, made from glass fibers or plastic sheets merged with industrial-grade epoxy adhesives.
![](https://www.wellpcb.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/shutterstock_1718401543.jpg)
To the merger, each sheet is treated using various concentrated chemicals to get rid of the residues. The excess solution is cleansed with another chemical solution to make it PCB-friendly. This entire process releases a chemical that is toxic to the environment.
Even the raw material used in making the epoxy boards under chemical process is a chain of toxic chemical processes from earthed minerals to functional PCB. The flux used to bond the solder paste usually contains 30+ chemical and petroleum products that emit toxic gases and oily residues when heated. Filtration and containment techniques are used to arrest these effects, but they are not perfect such that a significant quantity is released anyways.
![Environmental Pollution PCB Manufacturing2.png](/sites/default/files/Environmental%20Pollution%20in%20PCB%20Manufacturing2.png)
How to avoid or reduce it?
IPC standards enlist the allowable amount of chemicals to be discarded into the environment. A quality board must have almost no post-manufacturing emissions and residues that may harm the user. Due to pollution, heavy metals like lead are prohibited from using almost every electronic product to minimize their toxic effects.
![](https://www.wellpcb.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/shutterstock_1923496076.jpg)
New and improved methods that can ease the manufacturing process and cause less pollution to the environment are continuously evolving every day.
Recycling can also reduce pollution.