Do Computer monitors emit radiation? Yes, they do, but it might be different than what you would think.
All sorts of devices emit EMF radiation, and your computer monitor is no different. However, newer monitors emit far less than the old CRT versions.
In this post, I’m going to tell you how computer monitors emit EMF radiation, how much they emit, how you can test this, and what you can do about it.
Let’s dive right in.
(Just a quick note before we move on. I would love for you to take just a minute and check out Nicolas Pineault’s groundbreaking E-book “A Non-Tinfoil Guide To EMFs.” It is the most entertaining and informative book on EMF radiation you’ll ever read, I promise.)
What Types of Radiation Do Computer Monitors Emit?
There are primarily three types of radiation sources that a computer monitor is likely to have, UV light radiation, x-ray radiation, and EMF radiation. Which radiation, and how much they emit, will depend largely on the monitor. Let’s talk a little bit about each kind.
First, to understand this, let’s talk a little bit about the different types of computer monitors.
Computer Monitor Types
There are basically two categories of monitors: cathode-ray tubes, and the flat-screen monitors that you see today, which are typically either LED or LCD based screens.
Prior to about 2001, almost all monitors were using cathode-ray tube (CRT) technology to power the screens. However, these types of monitors generate, and leak, small amounts of highly dangerous X-Ray Radiation. Although this had been recognized since the 60’s as being dangerous, it was not until the late 1990’s that manufacturers really fell under scrutiny for continuing to make a knowingly dangerous product.
This led to the manufacturing of Light Emitting Diode (LED) and liquid crystal display (LCD), which is what I used for nearly all modern monitors (and televisions)
X-Ray Radiation From Monitors
Exposure to x-radiation is obviously extremely harmful and is an unfortunate bi-product of older style cathode ray tube (CRT) type monitors. The electronics in these old monitors generated extremely high voltages that would often result in x-ray radiation.
Although x-radiation that you could receive from one of these older style CRT monitors is dangerous and harmful, it is much less than you would receive from a medical x-ray machine or the x-ray at the dentist. This is the reason that they have you wear led vests to protect your body from the radiation.
Later versions of CRT monitors were slightly safer, as manufacturers began to take steps to reduce this x-ray radiation by adding lead to the cathode ray tube, which helped to cut down on this issue.
However, if you take a look at the following video, you’ll see just how much more radiation these monitors are capable of emitting.
The EMF meter that the gentleman is using in this video is the older version of the Trifield meter, the company now has the new TriField TF2 (read my review), but we’ll talk about that a bit more down below in the section about measuring computer monitor radiation.
Ultraviolet light Radiation from monitors.
Ultraviolet light (UV) is much less harmful than x-ray radiation, but high amounts over a long period of time can still certainly cause harm. Some monitors actually have a fluorescent lamp that is part of the illumination. When the ultraviolet light strikes a white phosphor, the visible light that you see is created, but it has the side effect of sometimes leaking ultraviolet light out.
Luckily they make screen protectors for computer monitors that not only block 100% of the UV light but also help to filter out blue lights that can cause computer vision syndrome (CVS) from longterm exposure to computer monitors.
EMF Radiation From Computer Monitors
The EMF Radiation from your computer monitor will be relatively small and come from circuitry in the back of the unit. As you can see from the video above when he is testing an LCD monitor, there is still a noticeable amount of EMF radiation, but you have to be quite close.
This amount of radiation is enough to cause damage over time. In fact, a study showed that the radiation emitted from a monitor was enough to destabilize the oxidant/antioxidant balance in the cornea’s of rats over even a small amount of time.
The bottom line is to make sure you at least keep a few feet away from your computer monitor.
How Much EMF Radiation Do Computer Monitors Emit?
The Long Island Power Authority did a study where they measured the average EMF radiation from many home appliances. Although they did not specifically test LCD or led computer monitors, they did test led and LCD televisions. Here are the numbers they came up with at the following distances:
- 1 Inch Away = 25 to 500 mG
- 1 Foot Away = 0.4 to 20 mG
- 3 Feet Away = <0.1 to 1.5 mG
As you can see, there is quite a large amount of EMF radiation at VERY close distances, but if you sit at least three feet away from the screen, you will not much need to worry about EMF radiation exposure. Be sure that you don’t sit so far away that you strain your eyes, but do keep at least 3 feet between you and the screen.
This applies to almost anything that you want to test, but you first need to start by getting a high-quality EMF meter. I personally use, and love, the new TriField TF2 (read my review). It is super easy to use, incredibly accurate, and measures every kind of EMF radiation, which you’ll realize is really important. If you need to start with a lower cost version I also like the Meterk (read my review).
Getting a good EMF meter is one of the absolute best things you can do if you care about the dangers of EMF radiation. Whether it’s figuring out how much radiation your Smart Meter is emitting, or testing to see if your microwave is leaking radiation, or comparing cell phone radiation, having a good EMF meter is the first step in knowing what the problem is, and knowing if your solutions are working.
Now, to test the radiation from a computer monitor, start by turning the monitor off, and getting a baseline reading near it. Then, turn the monitor on and give it a few seconds to boot up.
Start from about 5 feet away, and slowly move towards the monitor with your meter. Take notes of the radiation levels at different distances and note how it exponentially increases as you get within a few inches.
How To Reduce EMF Radiation From Computer Monitors
First of all, computer monitors do emit a relatively small amount of EMF radiation at reasonable distances. So the absolute best thing you can do is keep at least a reasonable distance (3 feet or more) between you and the monitor whenever possible.
Computer Monitor Radiation Shield
They don’t seem to make a good shield for computer monitors that are actually intended to block EMF radiation, but they do make this window film that you can pick up on Amazon, that you could cut to fit the size of your monitor if you really wanted to reduce the amount of radiation you’re exposing yourself to.
Get Blue Light Blocking Glasses
Although it won’t block radiation, if you are staring at a computer or tv quite a bit during your day, you should consider picking up a pair of glasses that block the blue light rays. This will help protect your eyes from long term exposure.