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Since World War II, cathode ray tube (CRT) electronic displays have played an increasingly important role in our lives, with televisions and personal computers being the primary applications. In the 1970’s, the liquid crystal display (LCD) became popular in wristwatches and calculators. In the early 1980s, Epson introduced the first portable computer with a monochrome LCD display, followed soon by LCD monitor displays from Tandy and Toshiba. These electronic displays are commonly referred to as flat panel displays (FPDs). There are now a number of flat panel displays (FPDs), each providing particular advantages for a given application. Appendix A1 provides an overview of LCD and other FPD technologies. The LCD is by far the most common type of FPD, and currently is the only FPD used in commercial computer monitors, which includes laptop monitors. Computer monitors constituted approximately 54.7 percent of the $13.9 billion LCD market in 1997, and are predicted to increase to 67.4 percent of the $31.5 billion market in 2001.2 LCDs comprised 87.6 percent of all FPD applications in 1997, and are expected to drop only slightly to 85.8 percent in 2003.3 LCDs have greatly increased in number, type, and applications, including growth in the desktop monitor application. LCD desktop monitors, although not yet numerous in the commercial sector, appear to be a likely replacement technology for CRTs. Therefore, the potential for high market penetration and an increased LCD material volume is significant. Concern over the environmental impact associated with the manufacture, use, and disposition of electronic products has emerged in recent years. These concerns have been driven in part because computer manufacturing requires the use of some toxic materials that may pose occupational and environmental risks. Concern has also been raised by th

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