Further evidence for this hypothesis comes from obserrvations that when the electrostatic fields were reduced, operators' dermatitis and other symptoms were also reduced. Whether this is a direct effect of the field itself or an irritant dermatitis from airborne particles is unknown. Several female operators have reported the deposition of their makeup on the VDT screens at the end of a working day. Furthermore, there have been several reports of patients who were able to prevent the dermatitis by the use of physical blocking agents, such as titanium dioxide or Duoderm. Recently, computer manufacturers have introduced VDTs that have no static electric fields as a means of preventing dermatitis.
Electrostatic shields are also available and widely used in northern Europe.
The shield, which is placed in front of the VDT screen, becomes conductive at relatively low humidity and thus eliminates the static field. Improvement with these shields, however, is usually temporary since their conductivity diminishes with time. Work iwth video display terminals among office employees. Skin problems in video display terminal users. Defective video displays, shields, and skin problems.