Gateway EV Series Manual page 19

What does labeling involve?
This product meets the requirements for the TCO'95/TCO'99 scheme which provides for
international and environmental labeling of personal computers. The labeling scheme was
developed as a joint effort by the TCO (The Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees),
Svenska Naturskyddsforeningen (The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation) and Statens
Energimyndighet (The Swedish National Energy Administration).
Approval requirements cover a wide range of issues: environment, ergonomics, usability,
emission of electric and magnetic fields, energy consumption and electrical and fire safety.
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.
Labeled 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
E-mail (Internet): development@tco.se
Current information regarding TCO'95/TCO'99 approved and labeled products may also be
obtained via the Internet, using the address:
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 bio-accumulative* processes. Flame retardants have
been found in human blood and researchers fear that disturbances in foetus development may
occur.
The relevant TCO'95/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.
17
ECO document