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From: rose@odin.ucsd.edu (Dan Rose)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Radiation from the Mac screens?
Keywords: radiation, protection
Message-ID: <6818@sdcsvax.UCSD.Edu>
Date: 12 Jul 89 21:12:30 GMT
References: <134@nisca.ircc.ohio-state.edu> <4400004@macknife> <29836@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> <1509@bucket.UUCP> <837@helios.toronto.edu>
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Reply-To: rose@cs.ucsd.edu.UUCP (Dan Rose)
Distribution: comp.sys.mac, sci.physics
Organization: University of California, San Diego
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In article <837@helios.toronto.edu> dooley@helios.physics.utoronto.ca (Kevin Dooley) writes:
>Many people have claimed that prolonged
>exposure to rf radiation can be a health risk, although there is no
>evidence to support this claim.  It is commonly accepted that the
>principle health problems associated with the use of video displays
>are:
>   - back and neck pain associated with poor posture . . .
>   - eyestrain resulting from improper lighting . . .

As has been pointed out by others, the risk alluded to in the
New Yorker articles was from the 60Hz-modulated magnetic field caused
by the yoke doing the (vertical?) refresh of the CRT.  (This of course
is not Mac-specific.)

I was extremely skeptical when I began reading about these hazards,
since (like the poster of the enclosed messsage) I had heard that
various governmental agencies had declared the risks to be confined
to ergonomic problems.  Having read the articles, though, I am now
convinced that other hazards may exist and should be studied.

I am not a conspiracy theorist, but I think that both academic
and industry scientists have been ignoring or obscuring the problem.
For example, the problems appear to stem from long-term, low-level
exposure, while the standards applied by various protective agencies
only consider short-term, high-level effects.  To oversimplify, they
say (in the case of microwave radiation), "if it doesn't heat you
up, it must be safe" when in fact it may be altering your brain function
or increasing your baby's risk of birth defects.

The scariest part for me was the implication that the press has
avoided reporting on the issue because they are so heavily dependent
on VDTs.  If you want the evidence, read the article(s) and judge
for yourself.

						Dan Rose
						CSE Dept.
						U.C. San Diego