Samsung caused a stir by warning that 3D may be a health risk.

We know that watching too much 3D, or bad 3D with too much depth and rapid scene changes, can cause headaches and eyestrain. But Samsung's warning went further, telling pregnant women, boozers and those suffering with epilepsy best not to watch.
 
When I visited the Samsung Electronics Euro QA Lab at Yately, Hampshire recently, David Jung, quality assurance manager, explained: “Both Samsung and LG issued health warnings. We had to. There is no certain information and no research. If we don't know we can't say what's safe. So it was necessary to make a health announcement, in case of legal action. But it was a very difficult decision.”
 
RealD, the company that supplies 3D systems and glasses to cinemas and Sky pubs, recently announced plans to go public and sell shares. For legal reasons the prospectus had to mention health issues.
 
"Our RealD eyewear may, in the future, be regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, or by state or foreign agencies....certain eyewear, such as non-prescription reading glasses and sunglasses, are considered to be medical devices by the FDA and are subject to regulations imposed by the FDA and various state and foreign agencies.... 3D eyewear, including our RealD eyewear, may at some point be subject to federal, state or foreign regulations that could potentially restrict how our RealD eyewear is produced, used or marketed."

 In today's "blame and sue" society, dealers could be at risk of compensation claims. So I set out to find out what UK and European health agencies thought about 3D health risks.

In the UK, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is the closest equivalent to the FDA. So I asked the MHRA if it was aware of any investigation comparable to the FDA's.
 
The MHRA promptly responded that "the spectacles are neither a medical device nor a medicine" and suggested I try the European Medicines Agency.
 
The EMA also promptly responded, that it "deals with pharmaceuticals" and is "not aware which rules would apply to license this kind of device."
 
Try the European Consumers' Organisation (BEUC), suggested the EMA.
 

BEUC has a membership of 43 independent national consumer organisations from 31 European countries and says it "acts as the umbrella group in Brussels for these organisations and our main task is to represent our members and defend the interests of all Europe’s consumers." 

Many of the BEUC website pages gave only error messages and emails sent both to its press office and consumer affairs office produced zero response.

David Cameron please take note. This BEUC bunch could be another bit of bureaucracy we are paying for and could well do without.

Barry Fox