By Randy Dotinga, HealthSCOUT Reporter

TUESDAY, Oct. 3 (HealthSCOUT) -- If Swedish chemists are right, all that time spent in front of your computer may make you itch and scratch.

A new study in Sweden suggests a chemical emitted by video monitors may cause allergic reactions in computer users. But American allergists sniff at the idea.

"I don't think computers are emitting particles that are harmful at all," says Dr. Diana Marquardt, head of the allergy section at the University of California at San Diego School of Medicine.

But the Swedish researchers report the chemical triphenyl phosphate, used as a flame retardant in video monitors, produces significant emissions in the area around a computer.

Triphenyl phosphate can cause allergic reactions, including contact dermatitis which the researchers say causes itching. How much of the chemical is needed to cause a reaction is unclear, they say.

Their study appears in a recent issue of Environmental Science & Technology, the journal of the American Chemical Society.

The chemical is emitted from computer monitors when temperatures climb during use, and the researchers say new monitors give off more of the chemical than old ones. Temperatures of monitors tested ranged between 122 degrees Fahrenheit and 131 degrees Fahrenheit.

The researchers analyzed the "breathing zone," located about two feet in front of a video monitor. After 10 days of operation, the amount of triphenyl phosphate in the air dropped, but it was still 10 times higher than found in the air of a typical office.

The chemical was found with 10 of 18 video monitors tested. The researchers wouldn't disclose the manufacturers of the monitors.

The study suggests the level of the chemical in the air could be reduced by turning on a new monitor for 10 days to "bake out" the fire retardant. But that will only reduce some of the emissions, they claim.

The research could explain why some computer users report allergic reactions while working, the study says.

Study co-author Conny Ostman says he is a chemist, not a toxicologist, and he can't answer questions about how many people may be affected or who may be sensitive to the chemical.

Two American allergists say they have never heard of allergies to computers, video monitors or triphenyl phosphate.

Even if triphenyl phosphate is in the air around a video monitor, that means nothing without evidence that it will do something, says Dr. Myron Zitt, an allergist and a fellow of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

"Now what?" he asks. "Where do we go from here? If your hypothesis is that a chemical can cause a problem, do a study to show that."

Zitt also suggests the Swedish researchers may not be clear about what an allergy is.

Allergens actually set off the body's immune system, while irritants simply annoy the body. If triphenyl phosphate is actually an allergen, scientists will need to show the body tries to attack it, he says.

"People throw the term allergy around. People say, 'Every time I wear a polyester suit my nose runs, so I'm allergic to the suit.' You may have some reaction, but it sure as heck isn't allergic," he says.

Marquardt says people are allergic to natural proteins, not to chemicals.

"You can be allergic to grasses, trees, weeds, dust and animals, but you can't be allergic to linoleum," she says.

She says triphenyl phosphate can cause a reaction if it is touched, much like poison oak. But she says it's unlikely the chemical would cause any problem coming from a computer.

If the chemical did cause an irritant reaction, she says "there's not much you can do except stay away or treat the symptoms."

What To Do

If you get itchy or start sneezing while working at a computer, you may be having a reaction to something in the environment, like dust. Talk to your doctor or allergist.

(From HealthSCOUT)