17/07/2007

Fumes emitted by computers and other office machines could pose a substantial risk to the public's health, according to a new study.

Increased levels of pollutant and bacteria from such machines could harm workers, research from by Imperial College London found.

The research was conducted to see if there was anything behind complaints from workers of headaches and other malaises after working with electrical equipment for hours on end, the Times reports.

Keith Jamieson, who led the research, told the paper: 'Electric fields have a powerful effect on the air. That is why the backs of computers get covered in dust.

'The same thing happens to people's skin and lungs. It increases the toxic load that the body has to deal with and raises the risk of contamination and infection.'

While the risk to those living next to high voltage power lines has been well documented, support for the theory that lower level appliances may also be harmful is growing.

The concept of the electric field was introduced by the English chemist and physicist Michael Faraday in the 19th century.