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 of telephone operators who used VDTs at work was compared to a cohort of non-VDT-users. Among 2,430 women interviewed, 713 eligible singleton live births were reported. Exposure was estimated from company records and a representative sample of electromagnetic fields was measured at the VDT workstations, For RBW (less than or equal to 2,800 g), we found no excess risk associated with any VDT use during pregnancy (ends ratio [OR] = 0.9; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.5-1.7). For preterm birth (less than or equal to 37 weeks), we similarly found no excess risk (OR = 0.7: 95% CI = 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 for several known risk factors for LBW and preterm birth. We conclude thar occupational VDT use does not increase the risk of RBW and preterm birth. (C) 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.