Re:ApeFest attendees report 'extreme pain' and vision proble...
by quantified on Monday November 06, 2023 @06:25AM
(#38161157)
What was the intended purpose? Blacklights?
Re:ApeFest attendees report 'extreme pain' and vision proble...
by jmopp on Monday November 06, 2023 @07:02AM
(#38161440)
My first guess would be to help disinfect the air. UV-C light is pretty good at killing bacteria and viruses. Though they evidently didn't realise it can also kill your corneas.
Re:ApeFest attendees report 'extreme pain' and vision proble...
by raxxorraxor on Monday November 06, 2023 @07:58AM
(#38161970)
That was probably the intent. AFAIK Blacklights usually use UV-A lighting though. It should be said, that UVA-A penetrates much deeper into the skin. You won't get sunburn from it, but it still can be damaging to cells.
It was previously thought UV-A would not be damaging, as the skin doesn't seem to be as photosensitive to it compared to UV-B or UV-C radiation, which results in red or brown skin. But newer studies suggest that the danger was underestimated. The cell damage just isn't as visible.
I don't believe the usual blacklight you find in a party cellar has the intensity to cause any damage though, but you may want to ask a dermatologist. You really need to be careful with dosage of light in all these wavelengths.
12 watts optical power is a lot. A lot more powerful than lights you need eye protection for. Even if you don't have symptoms, you shouldn't look at such a light source too often.
It probably also emits UV-A and UV-B light, even when light sources often peak at very specific wavelengths. Still, you would probably also get brown skin from that and even a few hours would be noticable.