Study Finds Monitors May Pose Health Risks
http://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/21/technology/21GEE2.html

September 21, 2000
NEWS WATCH


For people who sit in front of computer monitors all day, the old
joke about being allergic to work may have some scientific
validity. 

 A study by three members of the department of analytical chemistry
at the University of Stockholm has found that a gas emitted by
plastics used in cathode-ray tube monitors may be giving users
headaches, allergic skin reactions and nasal congestion. 

 The trouble, according to the study, which appears in the current
issue of Environmental Science and Technology, stems from the
chemical known as triphenyl phosphate. It is commonly added to
plastics used in monitors as a flame retardant. 

 The researchers built two offices of varying sizes and equipped
them with various pieces of office furniture, computers and
telephones. But seated at the desks was vapor-monitoring equipment
rather than humans. 

 When the equipment was not operating, the researchers found no
significant changes in the office air. But once the monitors were
switched on, their internal temperatures rose to between 122 and
131 degrees Fahrenheit, and significant levels of triphenyl
phosphate were released. In the 18 monitors tested, the effect was
most pronounced in new units. But even older monitors that were
left running continuously for 183 days produced concentrations of
the gas that were 10 times higher than office background levels. 

 The computers were also monitored for the gas by the researchers.
But because they don't generate as much heat as monitors, the group
found that the plastic boxes that house the C.P.U. don't spew
unpleasant gases. 

 Triphenyl phosphate, according to the study, has been shown to
cause skin problems in humans. They can include inflaming nasal
passages, leading to congestion. Based on their findings, the
study's authors wrote that its use in the plastic boxes that
surround monitors "may be considered a risk to human health." 

 To reduce the effect, the authors suggest that new CRT monitors be
turned on but kept from workers for 10 days to allow some of the
gas to bake off. While that would reduce the initial level of gas
exposure by two-thirds, it still doesn't solve the problem of
long-term release. For that, the study offered no suggestions.
  IAN AUSTEN
 
       


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