Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!harpo!decvax!mcnc!ecsvax!hsplab
From: hsplab@ecsvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.followup,net.bio
Subject: xrays from CRTs
Message-ID: <2531@ecsvax.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 18-May-84 22:32:17 EDT
Article-I.D.: ecsvax.2531
Posted: Fri May 18 22:32:17 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 22-May-84 08:21:10 EDT
Lines: 26

[]
An FDA report was summarized in a recent issue of FDA Drug Bulletin (An
Evaluation of Radiation Emission from Video Display Terminals - FDA 81-8153.
Superintendent of Documents, US Govt Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402).
I also seem to remember a summary of this same report in another publication,
but can not remember where.  Basically the report cites that most CRTs
generate unmeasurable amounts of xrays.  Out of all models tested only 7
generated measurable amounts of xrays and almost all of these were non-
production prototypes which were never manufactured.  I do not think that
monitors were included in this study.

I feel fairly confident in saying that there is little to no chance that
current monochrome CRTs and monitors generate significant xrays.  The
anode voltages are too low.  It is possible that some of the color
monitors can generate xrays since color tubes operate at higher anode
voltages.  Another National Academy of Sciences summarized that "A
person is exposed to greater radiation levels in all parts of the
(electromagnetic) spectrum from ambient sources than from a VDT."
[Video Displays, Work and Vision. Committee on Behavioral and Social
Sciences and Education, National Research Council, National Academy
of Sciences, National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 1983].

David Chou
University of NC, Chapel Hill
School of Medicine, Department of Pathology
     {akgua,decvax}!mcnc!ecsvax!hsplab