Ultra Violet refers to the wave length. I think cancer is caused more by higher power than wavelength. However, higher wavelengths tend to be higher power.
/edit IIRC
Originally posted by: BrokenVisage
Originally posted by: teh meow
Returning banned member Xcyclone?
I wondered that myself....
BrokenVisage
Lifer
- Jan 29, 2005
- 24,770
- 12
- 81
Originally posted by: Xylitol
Alll I know about UV lights is that it was in Gone in 60 Seconds
Good movie. :thumbsup:
Underrated.
I'm glad to hear there's no long term threat, but I came to this thread because I was wondering if the black light in my game room/office had something to do with my headache this morning.
I sometimes fall asleep in that room watching movies and I left the black light on last night. Woke up with a pretty severe headache, similar to a bad hangover. Recently put the black light on the desk to add an ambient effect to the lights on the kb+m/case. And my friend gave me the light for free so I wanted to find something to do with it.
Anyway a few other factors may have caused the headache like dehydration, less than optimal sleeping position, etc. I did wake up pretty dehydrated so that's probably it, but I just wanted to check because the light had an unobstructed path to my eyes where I slept, wasn't just ambient.
Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
I sometimes fall asleep in that room watching movies and I left the black light on last night. Woke up with a pretty severe headache, similar to a bad hangover. Recently put the black light on the desk to add an ambient effect to the lights on the kb+m/case. And my friend gave me the light for free so I wanted to find something to do with it.
Anyway a few other factors may have caused the headache like dehydration, less than optimal sleeping position, etc. I did wake up pretty dehydrated so that's probably it, but I just wanted to check because the light had an unobstructed path to my eyes where I slept, wasn't just ambient.
Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
Carson Dyle
Diamond Member
- Jul 2, 2012
- 8,174
- 524
- 126
Well, this thread is almost twelve years old. More recent medical research has shown that even relatively short periods of exposure to black light can cause brain cancer that rapidly spreads within hours.
Welcome to ATOT.
Red Squirrel
No Lifer
Could be bad for the eyes if it's within your eye sight. It's UV light. May be bad for skin too, but not sure if a single light bulb is really enough. The purple you see is not UV, the bulb is not 100% UV spectrum and "bleeds" into the visible spectrum too. Any plastics in the area may also degrade faster if it's on for long periods. Though a single bulb is probably relatively harmless I'd say. Think of those bowling alleys where they might be on for hours at a time.
They use high power versions of black lights in hospitals to sanitize rooms. I think it's like 10kw or something like that and full of black light neon tubes. THOSE you don't even want to be in the room when they use it.
They use high power versions of black lights in hospitals to sanitize rooms. I think it's like 10kw or something like that and full of black light neon tubes. THOSE you don't even want to be in the room when they use it.
Last edited:
IronWing
No Lifer
- Jul 20, 2001
- 69,007
- 26,886
- 136
Here:
https://www.naturesrainbows.com/single-post/2015/01/27/The-Photobiology-of-UV-Damage-to-Skin
The article was written to help fluorescent mineral nerds (like me) understand the dangers of exposure to the UV lights they cherish. For common "black lights" pay particular attention to the info on UVA.
https://www.naturesrainbows.com/single-post/2015/01/27/The-Photobiology-of-UV-Damage-to-Skin
The article was written to help fluorescent mineral nerds (like me) understand the dangers of exposure to the UV lights they cherish. For common "black lights" pay particular attention to the info on UVA.
Last edited:
Rubycon
Madame President
- Aug 10, 2005
- 17,768
- 485
- 126
There's lots of confusion in this thread!
The term "black light" typically refers to a fluorescent lamp that appears jet black when off and glows purple when energized. Its emission is in the UVA range close to 400 nanometers. It will NOT cause eye damage. This is commonly called longwave uv by geologists that irradiate minerals with them. The actual term for the lamp type is black light blue.
There is another type of fluorescent tube that appears like your normal fluorescent tube when off and bluish when energized. It still emits longwave UV and will make objects fluoresce quite strongly. This lamp is known as a black light. (strange I know, right) These lamps are commonly used in electric insect lanterns to attract photosensitive insects, luring them to an energized grid where they are instantly destroyed. The original Flowtron (div. of Automatic Radio Corp. in the 70s) used both black light and black light blue tubes for most effective attractant power. It was expensive and later determined that using a pair of inexpensive black light tubes and eventually u-shaped ones - were more cost effective. The dual lamp units also attracted too many non targeted insects (large sphinx moths, Luna moths, etc.) as well.
There are similar lamps that are white when off like the black light tube but are more intense. These are known as actinic lamps and were popular (before LEDs) with reef aquarists and sometimes used to treat jaundice in infants.
Finally, the most dangerous of all the UV emitting lamps is known as the germicidal lamp. Its walls are clear and when energized it appears blue-green. NEVER look at one as this radiation (UV-C, centered at 253.7 nm). The tube is quartz which passes this radiation freely. These are the lamps that are used to disinfect water/air and other medium. Intense lamps will generate ozone from the oxygen in the air. This output is dangerous to skin and eyes. Geologists will use this lamp as well and it will be labeled short wave. The popular "mineralight" of the 70s had twin 4W blacklight blue/germicidal tubes. I used the shortwave tube to erase eprom chips back in the 80s. Today, we have solid state (diode) sources so no more FL lamps, chopper circuits, getting shocked and undesirable EMI/RFI that can interfere with surveillance, etc.
The term "black light" typically refers to a fluorescent lamp that appears jet black when off and glows purple when energized. Its emission is in the UVA range close to 400 nanometers. It will NOT cause eye damage. This is commonly called longwave uv by geologists that irradiate minerals with them. The actual term for the lamp type is black light blue.
There is another type of fluorescent tube that appears like your normal fluorescent tube when off and bluish when energized. It still emits longwave UV and will make objects fluoresce quite strongly. This lamp is known as a black light. (strange I know, right) These lamps are commonly used in electric insect lanterns to attract photosensitive insects, luring them to an energized grid where they are instantly destroyed. The original Flowtron (div. of Automatic Radio Corp. in the 70s) used both black light and black light blue tubes for most effective attractant power. It was expensive and later determined that using a pair of inexpensive black light tubes and eventually u-shaped ones - were more cost effective. The dual lamp units also attracted too many non targeted insects (large sphinx moths, Luna moths, etc.) as well.
There are similar lamps that are white when off like the black light tube but are more intense. These are known as actinic lamps and were popular (before LEDs) with reef aquarists and sometimes used to treat jaundice in infants.
Finally, the most dangerous of all the UV emitting lamps is known as the germicidal lamp. Its walls are clear and when energized it appears blue-green. NEVER look at one as this radiation (UV-C, centered at 253.7 nm). The tube is quartz which passes this radiation freely. These are the lamps that are used to disinfect water/air and other medium. Intense lamps will generate ozone from the oxygen in the air. This output is dangerous to skin and eyes. Geologists will use this lamp as well and it will be labeled short wave. The popular "mineralight" of the 70s had twin 4W blacklight blue/germicidal tubes. I used the shortwave tube to erase eprom chips back in the 80s. Today, we have solid state (diode) sources so no more FL lamps, chopper circuits, getting shocked and undesirable EMI/RFI that can interfere with surveillance, etc.
GagHalfrunt
Lifer
- Apr 19, 2001
- 25,297
- 2,000
- 126
zinfamous
No Lifer
- Jul 12, 2006
- 110,562
- 29,171
- 146
In the lab, we use UV lamps at 254/365nm (effective 305 or something?) for exciting EtBr and illuminating nucleic acids in agarose gels. ....it only takes a minute or so with your hand under the shield, if slicing out a gel and with an unnoticed sliver of arm uncovered by gloves or sleeve, to develop a nice, precise burn on that spot. lol....this has happened to me twice. Once, I woke up the next morning with a strange sun burn on my face. Then realized that I probably should have used the face mask instead of the UV glasses to cut out that gel. Yikes.
Not sure if it's the same, but we use the germicidal for regular tissue culture hoods. They are always on when not in use, but I always assume that the glass shield of the hood is a safe barrier, when in the room and looking at the hood with the UV lamp activated?
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