(10-10-10) Using your laptop could cause 'toasted skin syndrome'

by Ethan A. Huff, staff writer

Using your laptop computer on your lap for extended periods of time can cause
serious, and potentially permanent, skin burns, say Swiss researchers.
Published in the journal Pediatrics, the study explains that "toasted skin
syndrome" occurs when skin is exposed to heat for long periods of time, and
appears as a darkened, sometimes patterned, discoloration on the skin.

According to Drs. Andreas Arnold and Peter Itin from University Hospital Basel
in Switzerland, authors of the study, the condition can cause permanent skin
discoloration and may even lead to skin cancer, depending on the degree of
damage.

In the old days, people who worked near high heat sources, such as bakers and
blacksmiths, often got toasted skin syndrome. But today, many people get it
simply from keeping high-powered, heat-generating laptop computers on their
laps for hours at a time, day after day.

Experts suggest using cooling pads or other heat shields in between laptop
computers and skin in order to prevent excessive heat exposure. However, it is
important to avoid using a pillow or blanket as a barrier since these can
increase temperatures even further, elevating risk of both fire and internal
damage to the computer.

Laptops aren't the only devices that can cause toasted skin syndrome, either.
According to reports, a boy was admitted to Children's Memorial Hospital in
Chicago for thigh burns caused by using a heating pad to treat a soccer injury.

Men who use laptop computers are also at additional risk as the heat the
machines generate can negatively effect sperm production. Laptop heat can
quickly warm scrotal temperatures to levels that kill sperm and may lead to
infertility. You can read more about sperm damage caused by laptop heat in this
earlier NaturalNews piece:
http://www.naturalnews.com/026509_f...

Sources for this story include:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3949066...
(NaturalNews)

News

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In evidenza

"L'informazione presente nel sito serve a migliorare, e non a sostituire, il rapporto medico-paziente."

Per coloro che hanno problemi di salute si consiglia di consultare sempre il proprio medico curante.