SACRAMENTO – Legislation authored by Assembly Member Lori Saldaña (D-San Diego) that aims at phasing out the use of hazardous materials in nearly all electronic devices sold in California was passed by the Assembly’s Natural Resources Committee Tuesday.

While current state law requires the phase-out of toxic substances in electronic devices with a video display of 4 inches or larger, Saldaña’s bill, AB 2202, expands the prohibition to include nearly any electronic or battery-operated device. If signed into law, this measure would be the first of its kind in the United States.

“The Committee’s vote confirms the state’s commitment to leadership in environmental protection,” Saldaña said. “It also said that it reflects the concerns of the majority of Californians.”

According to a recent survey conducted by the non-partisan Public Policy Institute of California, 84 percent of those surveyed said they considered toxic substances leaking into the soil and groundwater a problem in California. Over half said they considered it a “big problem” .

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) reports that about 70 percent of the toxic heavy metals found in landfills come from electronic waste. California alone generates about 500,000 tons of electronic waste annually.

Cell phones, IPODs, computers and many other modern electronic devices, many of which contain heavy metals and other toxic substances posing serious threats to public health, may have a useful life of maybe a year or two before they become obsolete and end up in California landfills.

The combination of lead, mercury, cadmium and hexavalent chromium currently used in the manufacture of these electronic consumer goods can cause serious damage to the nervous system, the kidneys and reproductive system, as well as promote birth defects, developmental disabilities and some kinds of cancer.

Saldaña’s legislation is modeled on a European Union (E.U.) directive, set to take effect in July of this year, that also bans hazardous materials in electronic devices bound for sale in European markets.

Saldaña believes California deserves to be included among the markets that receive this cleaner stream of consumer electronics.

“We know the electronics industry is already changing their methods of manufacturing these devices for sale in Europe,” Saldaña said. “This legislation would expand the market for those doing the right thing to include the world’s sixth largest economy.”

Saldaña noted her concern that, in the absence of regulation of these substances in California, the state may become a dumping ground for electronics from non-compliant manufacturers who have lost the European market.

“The state needs to move to avoid cheap and hazardous electronic materials from flooding California,” she said.

The bill is sponsored by Californians Against Waste. The League of Conservation Voters, the Sierra Club, and the Electronics Components Certification Board, which assists the electronics industry in complying with national and international regulation, have all expressed their support for the bill.

The bill will move next to the Assembly’s Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials for consideration.

Assembly Member Lori Saldaña represents the 76^th District, which includes Downtown San Diego, Mission Valley, Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, and Point Loma.