With LED lighting demands rapidly growing, questions regarding safety and whether blue light found in LEDs can affect health are being discussed now more than ever. Affects on health that are the heart of discussion within the industry include whether long term exposure can affect the release of melatonin and if looking directly at blue light can lead to degeneration of retinal tissue.

In  early 2013, LEDinside discussed the affect of blue light on the eyes and how information about the possibility of retinal tissue damage lead to a fear of blue light. To understand the dangers of blue light, it’s important to know that it stems from the amount of exposure to it. The same is true for color temperature LEDs and energy saving lighting.

It is worth noting that blue lights do indeed cause harm. Directly staring at blue light for an extended period of time will cause immediate damage. China National Lighting Fitting Quality Supervision Testing Center (CLTC) therefore released criteria for blue light including that single LED package components with 1W power must strengthen structural protection measures and that color temperature for indoor light cannot surpass 4000K. Read More: CLTC Provides Criteria for Blue Light Use to Quell Market Fears

Safety concerns arise as LED lighting demands increase
 
Increasing global awareness of energy conservation and carbon reduction as well as maturing of LED applications has lead to the continued increase of LED applications in lighting products in both indoor and outdoor lighting. Expansion of LED lighting application has caused the affect on health to be discussed extensively; including LED blue light’s danger towards retinal tissue damage and suppression of melatonin.
Read More: LEDs woeful safety “blues”


Are blue LEDs really harmful to the eyes?
 
Most LED lighting products are based on blue chips, just as UV was for traditional lighting in the past. As we enter the LED lighting era, the chance for exposure to blue light continues to increase. However, users do not need to be fearful because LEDs with blue light are no less damaging than other light sources. Users need to pay particular attention to the color temperature of LED fixtures because the higher the color temperature, the more blue radiation. Also, user should avoid directly looking at blue light.  Read More: Chinese Experts on the Danger of Blue LEDs

 
Be wary of poor quality LEDs

Although the majority of LED luminaries that contain blue light will not cause damage, testing of poor quality lighting in abnormal situations showed that directly looking at the lights in close proximity will lead to damage. Read More: A Study Shows LEDs May Damage Human Eyes

Author: Pinchun Chou, Senior Editor, LEDinside http:// Translator: Leah Allen, Editor, LEDinside