Sun Microsystems GDM-5410 Manual página 18

Appendix
TCO'99 Eco-document
x Congratulations!
You have just purchased a TCO'99 approved and labelled
product! Your choice has provided you with a product developed
for professional use. Your purchase has also contributed to
reducing the burden on the environment and also to the further
development of environmentally adapted electronics products.
x Why do we have environmentally labelled
computers?
In many countries, environmental labelling has become an
established method for encouraging the adaptation of goods and
services to the environment. The main problem, as far as
computers and other electronics equipment are concerned, is that
environmentally harmful substances are used both in the products
and during their manufacture. Since it is not so far possible to
satisfactorily recycle the majority of electronics equipment, most
of these potentially damaging substances sooner or later enter
nature.
There are also other characteristics of a computer, such as energy
consumption levels, that are important from the viewpoints of
both the work (internal) and natural (external) environments.
Since all methods of electricity generation have a negative effect
on the environment (e.g. acidic and climate-influencing
emissions, radioactive waste), it is vital to save energy.
Electronics equipment in offices is often left running
continuously and thereby consumes a lot of energy.
x What does labelling involve?
This product meets the requirements for the TCO'99 scheme
which provides for international and environmental labelling of
personal computers. The labelling 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.
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/
x 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
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.
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.
processes. Flame retardants have
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