kelvin@cs.utexas.edu (Kelvin Thompson) (07/13/89)
I just saw this on comp.sys.mac. I thought it might be of interest here
because we tend to use more screens than the average bear. Apologies if
this is old news.
Begin forwarded/crossposted thing (I reformatted some of the text to
fit better on the screen):
From thom@dewey.soe.berkeley.edu.UUCP Tue Jul 11 00:39:25 1989
Path: cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!dewey.soe.berkeley.edu!thom
From: thom@dewey.soe.berkeley.edu (Thom Gillespie)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac,comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Radiation and the VDT News: all the news not fit to publish
Summary: Information in VDT News on Radiation and displays
Keywords: radiation,elf,vlf,vdt news
Message-ID: <30010@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU>
Date: 11 Jul 89 05:39:25 GMT
References: <1681@neoucom.UUCP>
Sender: usenet@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Reply-To: thom@dewey.soe.berkeley.edu.UUCP (Thom Gillespie)
Organization: School of Education, UC-Berkeley
Lines: 101
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.
[Thanks. --KKT]
--
-- Kelvin Thompson, Lone Rider of the Apocalypse
kelvin@cs.utexas.edu {...,uunet}!cs.utexas.edu!kelvin