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be ordered from:
TCO Development Unit
SE-114 94 Stockholm, Sweden
Fax: +46 8 782 92 07
Email (Internet): development@tco.se
Current information regarding TCO'95 approved and labelled products may also be
obtained via the Internet, using the address: http://www.tco-info.com/
TCO'95 is a co-operative project between TCO (The Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees),
Naturskyddsforeningen (The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation) and NUTEK (The National Board for Industrial
and Technical Development in Sweden).
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Environmental Requirements
Brominated flame retardants
Brominated flame retardants are present in printed circuit boards, cables, wires, casings and housings. In turn, they
delay the spread of fire. Up to thirty percent of the plastic in a computer casing can consist of flame retardant
substances. These are related to another group of environmental toxins, PCBs, which are suspected to give rise to
similar harm, including reproductive damage in fisheating 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.
TCO'95 demand requires that plastic components weighing more than 25 grams must not contain organically bound
chlorine and bromine.
Lead **
Lead can be found in picture tubes, display screens, solders and capacitors. Lead damages the nervous system and in
higher doses, causes lead poisoning. TCO'95 requirement permits the inclusion of lead since no replacement has yet
been developed.
Cadmium
**
Cadmium is present in rechargeable batteries and in the colour-generating layers of certain computer displays.
Cadmium damages the nervous system and is toxic in high doses. The relevant TCO'99 requirement states that
batteries, the colour-generating layers of display screens and the electrical or electronics components must not contain
any cadmium.
Mercury
**
Mercury is sometimes found in batteries, relays and switches. Mercury damages the nervous system and is toxic in
high doses. TCO'95 requirement states that batteries may not contain more than 25 ppm (parts per million) of mercury.
It also demands that no mercury is present in any of the electrical or electronics components concerned with the display
unit. Mercury is, for the time being, permitted in the back light system of flat panel monitors as there today is no
commercially available alternative. TCO aims on removing this exception when a mercury free alternative is available.
CFCs (freons)
Regulatory Information
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