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TCO’95 Environmental Requirements
Brominated flame retardants are present in printed circuit boards, cabling, casings, and
housings, and are added to delay the spread of fire. Up to 30% of the plastic in a computer
casing can consist of flame-retardant substances. These are related to another group of
environmental toxins, PCBs, and are suspected of giving rise to similar harm, including
reproductive damage in fish-eating birds and mammals. Flame retardants have been found in
human blood, and researchers fear that they can disturb fetus development.
Bio-accumulative
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TCO’95 demands require that plastic components weighing more than 25
grams must not contain flame retardants with organically bound chlorine or bromine.
Lead can be found in picture tubes, display screens, solder, and capacitors. Lead damages the
nervous system and in higher doses causes lead poisoning. The relevant bio-accumulative
TCO’95 requirement permits the inclusion of lead, as no replacement has yet been developed.
Cadmium is present in rechargeable batteries and in the color-generating layers of certain
computer displays. Cadmium damages the nervous system and is toxic in high doses. The
relevant bio-accumulative TCO’95 requirement states that batteries may not contain more than
25 ppm (parts per million) of cadmium. The color-generating layers of display screens must not
contain any cadmium.
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) are sometimes used for washing printed circuit boards and in the manufacture of
expanded foam for packaging. CFCs break down ozone and thereby damage the ozone layer in
the atmosphere, causing increased reception on Earth of ultra-violet light with consequent
increased risks of skin cancer (malignant melanoma). The relevant TCO’95 requirement:
Neither CFCs nor HCFCs may be used during the manufacture of the product or its packaging.
Environmental Labelling of Personal Computers