Re: Sun burn from HID lamp?


"Ioannis" <morpheus@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1151014549.181314@xxxxxxxxxxx
"TKM" <nomail@xxxxxx> wrote in message
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[snip]

It can in sensitive individuals. You might ask the store whether the
person
involved is taking any drugs such as antibiotics or is on statins. Those
I
know from personal experience raise the skin sensitivity so that even
relatively low amounts of UV-A can cause some burning with long
exposure.

Terry,

do you have any references for the above? What are the specific
wavelengths
that affect these people?

I am aware of some drugs which increase photosensitivity, such as
Accutaine
(which I have taken twice myself) but I have never heard of any cases of
actual skin burning from covered halide lamps.

One would think that if such symptoms occured, statistically at least SOME
of those people who go to nightclubs illuminated with blacklight lamps
(which emit at 365nm and up to 420nm) and dance their butts out for hours
a
night, should be found to have woken up the next day with skin/face
irritations.

This kind of metal halide illumination is slowly gaining popularity in
stores and public places. One would think that there would be at least
SOME
documented cases of store clerks or employees with these symptoms.

Next to my house there is a fast food place whose internals are
illuminated
by 10x70-100W daylight metal halides on the ceiling with separate
parabolic
reflectors with protective hard glass covers. The cooks stay under those
lights for as long as 12 hours/day. No problems reported for the 10 years
this place has been in operation (although the lamps were installed the
last
6 years).

On the other hand if this girl who's got the irritation is an albino....I
dunno. Maybe even visible light can irritate her skin.

[snip]

Terry McGowan
--
Ioannis

No technical references come to mind; but Google "psorolen" and read the NY
Times - Personal Health article that comes up. I don't think what was
reported to *** Downey is that unusual especially if the worker was in the
direct beam of the lamp. And, I agree that even visible light of the right
intensity and duration could be the culprit.

When I worked for a large lamp manufacturer, I received a number of
complaint letters from individuals reporting similar symptoms. They even
used words similar to what *** reported. These individuals were unusual in
that they often recognized that they were light sensitive for various
reasons -- disease, inherited characteristics, medication, etc. and they
ranged in sensitivity from a little to "can't go out during the daylight
hours". Usually, the more sensitive people could only function with dim
incandescent light. They reacted strongly to fluorescent light.

When people so afflicted wrote saying that they were affected by fluorescent
lighting and wondering what was being emitted by the lamps, my initial
response was to ask them if they could sit next to a window (single pane)
that had a view of the sun or clear sky in full daylight without problems.
If they could, then it seemed likely that the much weaker fluorescent
lighting (typically with shielded lamps) in schools or offices wasn't the
main trigger of their symptoms.

Of course, psorolen plus UV-A has been used for many years as a treatment
for psoriasis -- the so-called PUVA treatment. It's the same thing except
that it is powerful, deliberate and controlled.

Terry McGowan


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