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RADIATION FROM COMPUTERS BLAMED FOR WORKERS' SICKNESS

13 July 1999 17:37

Computers are making office workers sick by flooding their
bodies with harmful radiation, researchers said today.

They were said to be responsible for a host of symptoms,
ranging from fatigue to backache and depression.

More than a third of the ailments normally blamed on "sick
building syndrome" were caused by low frequency radiation
from computer monitors, it was alleged.

With a range of nearly 20 feet and the ability to penetrate
eight feet of concrete, even a computer in a neighbouring
office presented a potential hazard.

Symptoms included headaches, dry itchy eyes, tiredness and
fatigue, aching backs, necks and limbs, rashes, coughs and
sneezes, depression, irritability and loss of concentration
and memory.

A study showed that in any four working weeks, 50% of staff
in a typical office equipped with computers experienced
between seven and 12 such symptoms.

Environmental experts Professor Derek Clement-Croome from
Reading University and consultant John Jukes made the
discovery while testing a new device designed to counter the
effects of radiation from visual display units (VDUs).

One hundred people working in separate wings at the offices
of Southampton and South West Hampshire Health Authority in
Southampton were involved in the study.

The devices, which sit on top of the computer screen, were
given to 50 staff working in one wing for a month, while the
rest received a dummy.

After four weeks the devices were switched round, but no one
knew which were real and which fake until the results were
recorded at the end of the study.

When the real devices were operating, the number of symptoms
fell by between 27% and 44%, with an average reduction of
36%. As soon as the were taken away, the symptom level shot
up again.

Mr Jukes said: "The results were surprising. We didn't
expect to get anything like a 36% reduction in symptoms.

"The conclusion is that low frequency magnetic fields
account for over a third of so-called sick building
syndrome."

The researchers were surprised to find that the radiation
appeared to produce purely physical symptoms, such as back
and neck ache, as well as those commonly associated with
stress and environmental factors.

The health authority was deliberately chosen because of the
"informed scepticism" of its staff, many of whom had medical
backgrounds, and the fact that the office did not have air
conditioning.

Air conditioning systems have in the past been blamed for
"sick building" problems.

Although the symptoms were not severe enough to cause
absence from work, they affected personal well-being and
productivity.

Mr Jukes said: "So common is the pattern that most people
tend to regard it as just part of life.

"They may complain about the air conditioning, the lighting,
or their desk and chair, but since no one knows quite what
to do the problem remains."

He stressed that the radiation had a range of 18 feet and
could not be blocked out. It was able to pass through a
concrete wall eight foot thick.

"A VDU below you or on the floor above, or in an office next
door, could have an adverse effect," said Mr Jukes.

Low frequency radiation induces small circulating currents
in the body which are said to mimic and confuse
bio-electrical functions, affecting cell division and making
the immune system less efficient.

The £67 Tecno AO device developed in France emits a signal
that boosts the body's own beneficial electromagnetic
fields.David Little, head of corporate services at
Southampton and South West Health Authority, said: "We
welcome the findings of the study team and are very pleased
that staff seem to feel healthier when a live device is
fitted to their VDU. As our staff have been so cooperative
the researchers have agreed to let us keep the devices, and
we hope that they continue to improve the wellbeing of
people working here." David Little, head of corporate
services at Southampton and South West Health Authority,
said: "We welcome the findings of the study team and are
very pleased that staff seem to feel healthier when a live
device is fitted to their VDU. As our staff have been so
cooperative the researchers have agreed to let us keep the
devices, and we hope that they continue to improve the
wellbeing of people working here."

© Press Association

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