Aspects of radiation effects due to visual display units at work

The introduction and acceptance of video display units at work have led to a huge flood of information, rumours, and half-truths about those units. As the population became increasingly sensitized to 'radioactive radiation', there was, and in part still is, a tendency to consider particularly effects of unclear origin, first of all ionizing radiation and later on also non-ionizing radiation, as the main threat from video display units at work. Such important issuses as ergonomics, stress load, visual stress load, and social hygiene are often effaced by the question for 'the radiation load from visual display units'. The paper is an attempt to deal with aspects of radiation effects of visual display units at work. The discussion also extends to hazards, respectively the 'radiation environment', at the site of the visual display unit. (orig./DG)