Work with video display terminals and the risk of reduced birthweight and preterm birth

To determine whether the use of video display terminals (VDTs) is associated with an increased risk of reduced birthweight (RBW) and preterm birth, a cohort o f telephone operators who used VDTs at work was compared to a cohort of non- VDT- use rs. Am ong 2,430 women interviewed, 713 eligible singleton live births were reported. Exposure was estim ated from company records and a representative sample of electromagnetic fields was m easured at the VDT workstations. For RBW (^2,800 g)t we found no excess risk associated with any VDT use during pregnancy (odds ratio [OR] = 0.9; 95% confidence interval [C l] — 0.5—1,7). For preterm birth 37 weeks), we similarly found no excess risk (OR ~ 0.7; 95% C I = 0.4-1.1). The risks estimated did not change substantially when hours working with VDTs were used as exposure variables. By contrast, increased risks were found fo r several known risk factors fo r LBW and preterm birth. We conclude that occupational VDT use does not increase the risk o f RBW and preterm birth. Am. J. Ind. Med. 32:681-688, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, lnc.f