From: barchasd@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (David Barchas)
Subject: Re: HEALTH: Possibility of hazards with Polhemus devices
Date: Wed, 21 Apr 93 13:21:03 -0500



Iain Marshall asks what the health risks of EM waves on the body are.

Well it is known that high intesity EM waves cause cancer.  An example
of this is high voltage wire repair men who in the past were getting
camer across their stomaches due to the EM field around the wires.
Now I think that they have lead or some type of shielding for their
stomaches, not sure about that though.  The main health risk is
cancer.  Another example of the danger being involved with CRT's is
that there are radiation filters that you can buy to put on your
monitor to filter out the radiation.  It might be a good idea for
anyone who sits in front of a monitor all day long, which I assume is
most of us.  I am considering it myself, they only cost about 80 bucks
for the ones that actually work(compaired to the ones for $15 which
are the make me feel better but I'm not really safer ones).

The CRT's do emit the same type of radiation since the polhemus type
devices need a filter to remove the CRT's background "noise"(I
think?).  The earlier ones got all fudged up when you moved them too
close to a CRT(this is all on provious knowledge, I have never
actually seen this problem since I have only touched a real,not
powerglove, tracking device once in my life.).  Anyway, the short
version is that EM waves cause cancer.

I am curious, does anyone know if the tracking devices emit more or
less EM radiation than a CRT?

I am inclined to think that they emit more than a CRT, but I most
likely am wrong.


David Barchas (barchasd@mentor.cc.purdue.edu) | "Oops..."
Purdue University - Computer Science          |   Famous last word.