Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site topaz.ARPA
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!bellcore!decvax!genrad!mit-eddie!godot!harvard!seismo!topaz!STEINER@RUTGERS.ARPA
From: STEINER@RUTGERS.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.works
Subject: Data Considered Harmful
Message-ID: <159@topaz.ARPA>
Date: Mon, 7-Jan-85 02:45:04 EST
Article-I.D.: topaz.159
Posted: Mon Jan  7 02:45:04 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 9-Jan-85 02:13:08 EST
Sender: daemon@topaz.ARPA
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.
Lines: 34

From: Ken Laws 

I really >>hate<< to stir up the VDT health issue again, but I had a
thought about it that hasn't been covered in the discussions I've
seen.

Early research concentrated on x-rays; later studies have been
covering nonionizing radiation (and also negative ion density, etc.).
I have not heard, however, of any studies about VDTs and motion
sickness.

There have been reports on TV about NASA's motion sickness studies
indicating that the queasiness is due to a discrepancy between motion
estimates from the visual field and from the inner ear.  You can get
motion sickness from watching (intently) a picture of waves against a
heaving horizon even though you are stationary.

I have occasionally become queasy when intently editing a long file
of addresses.  I surmise that the intermittent, but nearly
continuous, upward scrolling has the same effect on my visual sense
as the picture of a heaving horizon would.

Is it possible, then, that headaches, nausea, or even miscarriages,
are caused in some people by the constant scrolling of data?  This
would tend to explain why the reports of health problems are often
from just a few data entry pools -- they may be the ones with this
type of editing or scanning task.  It might also explain why studies
with mice have been negative: you can't get them to watch the screen
intently.

It would be interesting to know whether anyone has studied this
effect.

                                        -- Ken Laws