COMPUTER RADIATION – A HEALTH RISK
If you are a computer user, computer radiation may be your largest single source of electromagnetic radiation.
Many of us spend our working days in front of computer monitors, surrounded by electronic equipment, each item emitting radiation. Because of the duration of this exposure (many hours every day), computer radiation is a real health hazard.
The Extremely Low Frequency (ELF), is also emitted from power lines, electrical sub-stations, TVs and other home appliances.
Microwave radiations (electromagnetic radiation) found near computers is also dangerous. Microwaves are used to provide radio communication between wireless-networked equipment, including computers, printers, modems, routers and other cordless or wi-fi devices.
A computer user in general could be exposed to-
Type of Radiation | Field Strength |
ELF radiation from computers | 3-6 milligauss |
Microwave from wi-fi devices | 100-200 µW/m2 |
Taken together they may create a very serious health risk.
ELF radiation can cause, or contribute to, various health problems - like sleep interference and allergic reactions, heart disease, cancer and alzheimer's disease.
Most people would not want to sit at a desk under high voltage power lines. But they will happily sit a foot away from a computer screen, with a computer and printer on the desk next to them, and perhaps a power supply (UPS) near their feet. They will work like this for several hours every day, for many years, absorbing as much (or more) ELF radiation than if their desk was close to a high-voltage power line.
No wonder computer users get sick so often!
But there are few simple measures by which these risks could be minimized.
Those measures are to be discussed in next blog…
