The environmental demands impose restrictions on the presence and use
of heavy metals, brominated and chlorinated flame retardants, CFCs
(freons) and chlorinated solvents, among other things. The product must
be prepared for recycling and the manufacturer is obliged to have an
environmental policy which must be adhered to in each country where
the company implements its operational policy.
The energy requirements include a demand that the computer and/or
display, after a certain period of inactivity, shall reduce its power
consumption to a lower level in one or more stages. The length of time to
reactivate the computer shall be reasonable for the user.
Labelled products must meet strict environmental demands, for example,
in respect of the reduction of electric and magnetic fields, physical and
visual ergonomics and good usability.
Below you will find a brief summary of the environmental requirements
met by this product. The complete environmental criteria document may
be ordered from:
TCO Development
SE-114 94 Stockholm, Sweden
Fax: +46 8 782 92 07
Email (Internet): development@tco.se
Current information regarding TCO'99 approved and labelled products
may also be obtained via the Internet, using the address:
http://www.tco-info.com/
Environmental requirementsFlame retardants
Flame retardants are present in printed circuit boards, cables, wires,
casings and housings. Their purpose is to prevent, or at least to delay the
spread of fire. Up to 30% of the plastic in a computer casing can consist
of flame retardant substances. Most flame retardants contain bromine or
chloride, and those flame retardants are chemically related to another
group of environmental toxins, PCBs. Both the flame retardants
containing bromine or chloride and the PCBs are suspected of giving rise
to severe health effects, including reproductive damage in fish-eating
birds and mammals, due to the bio-accumulative* processes. Flame
retardants have been found in human blood and researchers fear that
disturbances in foetus development may occur.
0
5
25
75
95
100