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UV Lighting Safety

According to the Pennsylvania State University Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) department, ultraviolet (UV) light is "electromagnetic radiation in the spectral region between 180 and 400 nanometers." Since light in this spectral range is invisible to the eye and can penetrate human tissues, UV lighting safety is extremely important to help reduce the risk of cancer.

  1. UVA

    • One type of UV radiation is UVA, light ranging from 320 to 400 nm. UVA light can penetrate the human body the most and can cause skin damage and cataract formation.

    UVB

    • UVB radiation---ranging from 290 to 320 nm---is considered the most dangerous of the types of ultraviolet radiation. UVB can cause sunburns, skin aging, corneal burn and skin cancer.

    UVC

    • UVC radiation ranges from 180 to 290 nm. It is considered the safest type of UV radiation to be exposed to since it cannot penetrate the skin's outermost layer; however, too much exposure to UVC can cause corneal burn.

    Hazards

    • UV light exposure---either through direct or reflected UV radiation---affects the eyes, especially the lens and cornea. Six- to 12-hour exposure to UV light can result in corneal damage called keratoconjunctivitis (more commonly known as snow blindness). Long-term exposure to UV light, especially the UVA type, can also cause "clouding of the lens" (cataracts).

      Aside from eye hazards, UV light is also carcinogenic---or cancer causing---on the skin. Since people are naturally exposed to the sun's UV light, any unnecessary UV light exposure should be prevented so as not to cause skin cancer and other forms of damage to the skin, such as premature aging and burns.

    Safety Precautions

    • Appropriate shielding, including the use of gloves, face shields or masks, long-sleeve shirts, sunglasses, sun block and other protective equipment is necessary to limit exposure to UV light and prevent its harmful effects.

      The use of "engineering controls," as EHS University of Nevada Reno explains, should also be the method used to contain UV light in structural areas. These controls include metal, wood, cardboard and other opaque materials. Glass is not advised, as it may permit UVA radiation.

      While there is no standard UV label for equipment, any UV-emitting equipment must be labeled as such to allow users to understand the dangers.

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