Halogen bulbs also put out a good amount of UV, sometimes a problem for museums
On Mon, Mar 5, 2018 at 4:22 PM, Anne Lutun via Callers <[email protected]> wrote: > When was the last time you got a tan at an indoor contradance? > > No, this is not a joke. I got sunburned while calling this past Saturday > (March 3rd, in Pennsylvania). > > How is this possible? Probably a damaged metal halide bulb in the community > center gym where the dance was held. Apparently this is a problem that > occurs sporadically in gyms all over the country, as I found out after a > google search: > > https://news.vanderbilt.edu/2004/05/19/damaged-metal-halide-lamps-can-cause-indoor-sunburns-56964/ > > https://www.fda.gov/Radiation-EmittingProducts/RadiationSafety/AlertsandNotices/ucm116540.htm > > I'm very fair-skinned and burn easily, but I'm not the only one who was > affected — the musicians got sunburns as well, and two of them have (mild) > eye irritation symptoms. It's only when we compared notes yesterday that we > realized what had happened. > > We will all be ok, and thankfully there haven't been any reports of dancers > being affected — it was a large and lively crowd, and we kept them moving! > Other than the burns, it was an absolutely wonderful dance. > > The problem had not occurred before at this monthly event because the bank > of lights that we now think the culprit bulb is a part of is not usually on. > It was needed that night because some of the other lights had burned out. > > I would like to commend the dance organizers for taking the problem very > seriously. Once informed, they immediately contacted the community center > management, who in turn promised to address the issue right away. > > I don't mean to alarm anyone, but next time you call in a gym, you may want > to wear sunscreen! > > Anne Lutun > Philadelphia, PA > > > _______________________________________________ > List Name: Callers mailing list > List Address: [email protected] > Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > _______________________________________________ List Name: Callers mailing list List Address: [email protected] Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/
