NIOSH says VDTs not a threat to pregnant women
Study contradicts popularly held beliefs
An important new report from federal researchers concludes that computer video display terminals (VDTs) do not increase a woman’s risk of delivering a baby of reduced birth weight or delivering prematurely. The report is a major counterpoint to the suspicions of many occupational health professionals and labor leaders who contend that the VDTs are hazardous.
The report comes from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in Cincinnati and represents the conclusion of one of the most extensive investigations ever of reproductive health concerns. The first part of the study, published in 1991, found no association between VDT use and increased risk of spontaneous abortion.
No major difference with VDT use
In the latest portion of the study, NIOSH researchers interviewed 2,430 women employed as telephone operators, some using VDTs on a regular basis. During the three-year period covered by the study, there were 707 pregnancies ending in a live birth. An analysis showed that 304 of the pregnancies were among operators who had worked with VDTs, and 403 were among women who had not.
Of the babies delivered with reduced birth weight, 27 were delivered by women who had worked with VDTs, representing 8.9% of the VDT users. Thirty-nine of the low-birth-weight babies were delivered to those who had not worked with VDTs, representing 9.7% of that group. There were no substantial differences between the two groups in the mean birth weight of babies by gestational age. The risk factors for reduced birth weight did not include VDT use but did include factors previously identified, such as premature birth or certain health problems with the mother.
Twenty-four preterm infants were born to women who worked with VDTs, or 7.9% of the VDT group, compared with 45 born to those who had not worked with VDTs, or 11.2% of that group. The risk factors for premature birth did not include VDT use but did include previously identified factors such as toxemia and diabetes.
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