Hi Rick, The Classes are I (Roman numerals) thru V, I believe. The lower the better. Chemical lasers are way up there. To be precise, I think those pointers are rated Class IIIb. You have to check the laser regs controlled by the FDA to get the precise limits. It's based on power and frequency.
This is a gross overstatement but Class III lasers constitute the point where tissue can begin to occur. Very rough is that Class IIIb lasers can cause tissue damage if continuous exposure is allowed for something like 1,000 seconds. Check the regs yourself for exact numbers and DO NOT rely on my post. Look at CFR Title 21, Part 807 (subparts as required) CFR Title 21, Part 1000 (subparts as required) CFR Title 21, Part 1010 (subparts as required) CFR Title 21, Part 1040 (subparts as required) Personally, I would not let the scouts play with them. But, that's because I'm just a hard ass. Regards, Doug At 08:21 AM 11/10/98 -0700, [email protected] wrote: >As a tie to this discussion, could someone clarify the Laser pointer >classes? Are all of them Class 3 or higher or are there Class 2 and below. >Interestingly enough, I took a group of scouts on an activity last week and >several kids pulled out Laser pointers and had "Light Battles" between >themselves. What is the consensus of the group on potential hazards from >misuse of these devices? Should Class 3 and higher be banned? > >Thanks > >Rick Busche >[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> --------- This message is coming from the emc-pstc discussion list. To cancel your subscription, send mail to [email protected] with the single line: "unsubscribe emc-pstc" (without the quotes). For help, send mail to [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], or [email protected] (the list administrators).
