Dangers of Using Computer Terminals Undoubtedly, the computer has greatly increased human being’s working capacity and intel

There is no doubt that the computer has enlarged man’s working capacity as well as his intellectual capacity enormously. Er... but it brings with it dangers to match the benefits. Now by this, I mean danger to physical and mental well-being of the people who work at computer terminals, not the dangers to personal privacy or national or industrial security.
   There is one very alarming set of statistics, which come from a survey done in the UK on 800 pregnant women, who happened to use computer terminals for a major part of their working day. In no less than 36% of the subjects there was some severe abnormality during the pregnancy, enough to make a termination necessary. Now these figures compare significantly with a control group of pregnant women of the same age but who did not work with computer terminals. The incidence of severe abnormalities in their case was only 16%. This survey confirms similar investigations carried out in Denmark, Canada, Australia and the USA. Now, no one yet has a clear idea about the exact connection between working with computer terminals and the problems with pregnancy, but the figures at least suggest that there’s, well, a cause for alarm.
   In more general terms, increased stress and disturbances to vision lave been noted in workers exposed for long periods to the video screen, and in many countries trade unions of workers involved with computers have laid down their own guidelines to protect members’ health. Erm... for instance, rest periods, or a change of activity from time to time are recommended, and the terminal should be placed so that there’s a source’ of natural light, and something else to look at, emm, no blank walls behind the terminals, in other words, so that the operator has a chance to rest his eyes from time to time.
   Ironically, it seems that it’s not only those who work with computers who are at risk. Er ... there is perhaps more danger for people who use computers for interest or pleasure in their own homes. Now, it’s obviously not possible to impose in the privacy of people’s homes the sort of safeguards that can be applied in the working environment. Most people get fascinated by what they are doing that they stay in front of the screen for hours on end; some are real fanatics!
   But they’re also using their computers in environments which are specially designed. Er... they may be dusty or hot, and not particularly well-lit on the whole.
   An English magazine for computer enthusiasts recently ran its own survey. The readers were invited to send in an account of any health problem which they felt were connected with the use of their computers. Interestingly, a long list emerged of complaints hath serious and less serious, ranging from constipation because of the long hours spent in sedentary ac... inactivity, and backache due to crouching over an inconveniently positioned keyboard, erm, right through to a general sense of fatigue owing to having puzzled over a problem for longer than was sensible.
   The visual disturbances mentioned above were also very common. Some readers who already suffered from short sight found that the condition has worsened, and a rarer complaint, but still one suffered by a significant number, was an itching of the face, which in some cases became a form of dermatitis. It seems that this is due to the electrostatic field of the video screen attracting dust from the atmosphere, which irritates exposed skin. And... this is an example of a complaint which is rare in the work station because there is usually some form of air-conditioning, and quite simply not so much dust and fluff in the air as in the normal home.
   Precautions for both types of terminal users remain essentially the same. So, first of all, make sure that there’s an alternative source of light from that of the screen itself. Secondly, rest your eyes frequently, if possible looking at something in the distance to give them a change from the close focus used on the screen. Thirdly, make sure the screen is properly tuned; a shaky or fuzzy image can cause nausea or headaches. Fourthly, make sure your seat and working area are designed so that you’re sitting in a comfortable position, not er... screwed up or bent over. And finally, get up regularly and walk about the room. Better still, go out in the fresh air occasionally. Sitting still for hours on end is the best way to encourage a thrombosis in the legs. It is also not particularly good for the digestion.
   These are all common-sense precautions,  but how many home-computer owners wrapped up in the intricacies of some programming problem, or fascinated by some game, are going to remember to use their common sense? Does a generation of short-sighted, constipated, hunched, migraine sufferers with skin problems and circulatory troubles await us?