Sony Replaces Cables After Dutch Block Shipment of 800,000 Consoles

Playstation 2 consoles were not affected by the ruling because they do not use the same peripheral cables. The Dutch government blocked shipment of the consoles and 800,000 accessories bound for the European Union market in the Netherlands in November because the cables contained too much cadmium. Within the European Union, no goods are allowed to be imported that contain more than 0.01 percent cadmium. The Netherlands said that each cable contained between three and 20 times the allowed amount. Sony Computer said it had already started replacing the cables. It hoped to resume limited shipments of the consoles by mid-December, with full supplies as soon as possible. However, Sony said it would not recall any consoles already sold in Europe as the amount of cadmium in the cables did not in its view pose a health risk to users. The cadmium contained in the cables only posed a risk if incorrectly disposed of, in which case it could have long-term environmental effects, Sony said. Sony Computer did not say how much the cable replacement would cost the company.