UV light side effect ?

[jacob10]

Greetings everyone,
i have heard some people talking about the UV light side effects such as causing skin cancer and Sterility, how true is that ?
and does it effect the skin if its directed on it or even if the light is covered? what i mean is the effect of the UV is through direct contact with the light or just being around it even if its covered?
Thanks in advance

 

[lauremf2002]

its from prolonged exposure to the light. There is UV in sunlight, thats why you wear sunblock. Maybe if you stuck your arm under it every single day you would get cancer but I imagine you would be ok with occasional exposure. You dont wear sunblock everytime you leave your house after all.

 

[jacob10]

well my tank is in my room and most of the time really close to me, the UV is fully covered though, is it safe or should i be worried ?

 

[anjiro]

UV light is definitely in the sun as mentioned before, and is the light used in tanning beds. Only prolonged exposure, or genetic predisposition to skin cancer will in fact lead to cancer, along with numerous other variables for certain. However, UV light, particularly in certain laboratory settings, can not penetrate surfaces, hence why you cannot get sunburned sitting in your living room. It also cannot pass through glass. UV bulbs are simple florescent bulbs with a special coating that emits Ultraviolet radiation. If the light is completely encompassed, such as in a UV Sterilzer, the only time you would be exposed is when you open the container. Therefore to make a long story short, no worries dude.

 

[flower]

Hi,
Don't look into the light. It is like looking into the arc of a welder. It can damage the eyes, even cause blindness.
There is also a warning about pointer beams for the same reason.
I know when you think of a UV warning, you think of sun damage. The warnings are for your eyes. You are not supposed to look at the direct sun either. An eclipse is pure UV. Even though the sun seems blocked, there are warnings to not look at the sun directly.
So don't look at a MH bulb while it is lit.

 

[mudplayerx]

The glass covering on the metal halide light fixtures blocks the UV light. Othwise your corals and fish would be fried within a few hours.

 

[lauremf2002]

i think its generally a bad idea to stare at any light, uv or not...