Environmental requirements, Flame retardants – Compaq 7020 User Manual
Page 33
TCO ‘99
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): [email protected]
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 Requirements
Flame 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
bioaccumulative* processes. Flame retardants have been found
in human blood and researchers fear that disturbances in foetus
development may occur.
The relevant TCO'99 demand requires that plastic components
weighing more than 25 grams must not contain flame retardants
with organically bound bromine or chlorine. Flame retardants are
allowed in the printed circuit boards since no substitutes are
available.
Compaq 7020 Flat Panel Monitor User’s Guide
B-3