thom@dewey.soe.berkeley.edu (Thom Gillespie) (07/11/89)
I've been posting to a variety of nets about the New Yorker article "Annals of Radiation: the Hazards of Electromagnetic Fields". I've received a large number of responses which seem to fall into 2 camps. 1) There are the professionals who use the screens a lot and would like good information because they are concerned, many of these people are women. The literature also seems to indicate that women, particularly women who are newly pregnant and heavy users of vdts should be worried. There is no reason to assume that we men folk have nothing to fear, it just may take awhile. Remember that our govt. did make a lot of military stand up and salute atomic blasts from small atolls in the Pacific during the 50s just to see what happens. 2) And then there are the 'younger' respondents who feel that all this hoopla is of no concern to them, just more 'whole wheat'-ings from the 60's. It also seems like very few people want to sit down and read the article, takes too long, better to either agree or kill the messenger. After reading the article I decided to track down the people who publish "VDT News", the publication which is heavily cited in the New Yorker article. I first attempted to find back issues at UC Berkeley's Public Health Library, it seemed like a likely place for the magazine to be. But, no, a search of the UC library system showed that the magazine was at UCLA and ,I think, UC Irvine but none at Berkeley, close to Silicone Valley. I talked with the head librarian of the Library and was told that they don't carry the magazine because it is not indexed for Index Medicus, but if I thought the magazine was important then they might consider subscribing, nothing definite though. So I called Louis Selsin who publishes VDT News/ Microwave News. He sent me some back issues and told me that they charge $87 a year for the magazine but it is hand to mouth. The fact that a major research university like Berkeley does not subscribe does not help. I'd suggest that anyone reading this posting check their local University library just to see if VDT News is there. It would be interesting to see if San Jose State and Stanford carry the magazine. What about MIT, CMU, U of Texas at Austin and University of Arizona,etc? I'd like to suggest that VDT News put in a student rate which is more affordable but I don't know if they'd go for it. If you would be interested in a student rate mail me back and I'll pass the info on to the VDT News people. ***************************************************************** SOME TOPICS COVERED BY BACK ISSUES OF VDT NEWS - NIOSH Epi Study Delayed - Workers' Comp. Claims - Draft Int'l Standards - Miscarriage References - Swedish Agency Limits Emissions - Businesses Sue to Void Nation's First VDT Law - EEC Proposes Policy on VDT Safety and Health - Low Magnetic Field Displays Now Available in the U.S. - IBM Sells Low Magnetic Field VDT in Sweden and Denmark - Early PMF Exposure shows Greater Effects - New Mice Study confirms Effects CONTACT VDT NEWS AT VDT News P.O. Box 1799 Grand Central Station New York, N.Y. 10163 (212) 517-2802 ******************************************************************* The NORAD Screen I also contacted the NoRad corporation about what material they have and they sent a bunch of promo stuff but they did include a white paper called "VDT Hazards, Discomforts and Inefficiencies and the Available Means for Eliminating Them". It has a good bibliography and presents a similar case to the New Yorker article and the VDT News material. It also cites the Kaiser Permanente Study of pregnant women which supports the fact that pregnant women are at more risk than just from screen glare and neck ache. I DOUBT IF THE NORAD SCREEN IS WORTH MUCH IN TERMS OF THE LOW LEVEL RADIATION PROBLEM, IT IS NOT WORTH $94 A POP. NoRad Corporation 1549 11th Street Santa Monica, Ca. 90401 (213) 395-0800 ******************************************************************* HOW TO BACK ORDER THE NEW YORKER ARTICLES Send a check or money order to the New Yorker Back Issues Department 25 West 43rd st. New York, N.Y. 10036 Issue dates June 12- Cancer Risks caused by proximity to power lines June 19- Microwave radiation June 26- Health Battles around video display terminals If you don't want to order the articles check the issue out from your local public library. ************************************************************************ I HAVE NO AFFILIATION WITH THE NEW YORKER, NORAD OR VDT NEWS. I JUST THINK THAT THE INFORMATION MIGHT BE USEFUL TO SOMEONE OUT THERE. ************************************************************************ - Thom Gillespie p.s. If you'd like to repost this to another group, that is fine with me.