Electronic Whiteboards May Harm Students and Teachers
The BBC reports that studies show that the interactive overhead projectors may be harmful to students and teachers. Documents obtained by an industry whistleblower from the British Health and Safety Executive, through a Freedom of Information Act request, say users “should make sure that direct beam viewing of the optical output from this equipment is both controlled and restricted to no more than a few tens of seconds at a time.”
The government documents say that while few people could stand to look directly at a projector’s lamp for enough time to cause harm, the light beam could damage a viewer’s peripheral retina. A straw poll of teaching representatives in Wiltshire, England shows only a few have been told how to use whiteboards safely.
Activists are seeking, at least, a warning label.