Magnetic fields of video display terminals and pregnancy outcome

The magnetic fields emitted by video display terminals (VDTs) and their potential association with pregnancy outcome are discussed. The majority of the epidemiologic studies suggest that VDT work is not related to adverse pregnancy outcome. The exposure to magnetic fields from modern VDTs is usually even lower than that from other sources in the office environment, such as printers and photocopying machines. There are, however, some indications of an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcome among women exposed to high levels of extremely low-frequency magnetic fields of VDTs or electric appliances at home. Because the present evidence is not sufficient to allow the drawing of final conclusions, it would be important to examine the effects of exposure to higher fields existing at industrial work places.