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Will grow lights damage people's health? There is no doubt that any grow light can cause harm to your plants if not used properly. However, it also has the potential to cause harm to people.

At sufficiently high intensities, any type of light, regardless of source, can injure the eyes or skin through prolonged thermal exposure or the photochemical effects of ultraviolet, blue and/or infrared emissions.

LED grow lights can emit light that simulates the sun's spectrum. We can start with a simple understanding of the composition of the solar spectrum.

The solar spectrum is mainly composed of ultraviolet (100-400nm), visible light (400-760nm) and infrared (760nm-1mm), and the white light emitted by LED grow lights is also mainly composed of these three kinds of electromagnetic radiation. Ultraviolet and infrared are invisible light, although we can't see it, but they have the possibility of harming human health.

Effects of ultraviolet rays on human

Ultraviolet rays have the most obvious effects on the human skin and eyes. Short-term exposure to human body will cause skin redness, itching, and allergic papules;  prolonged exposure will cause serious damage to skin tissue, and over exposure may even cause skin cancer. UV radiation is also very harmful to human eyes. Exposure to  UV radiation can cause redness, tearing, and inability to open eyes. Long-term exposure to ultraviolet radiation can lead to cataracts and even blindness.

Effects of infrared rays on human

People working in industries with prolonged exposure to infrared radiation may suffer eye damage. The human eye is sensitive to all radiation in the electromagnetic spectrum, especially when the intensity of the radiation is very high. Exposure to strong electromagnetic radiation, including infrared radiation, can damage the lens and cornea of ​​the eye. 

Effects of blue lights on human

Overexposure to blue light can cause damage to a human's eyes, may contribute to diminution of vision, and may prematurely age the eyes. Because blue light can penetrate directly through the cornea and lens to the retina, this can lead to cell damage and the potential for macular degeneration.

Blue light also interferes with sleep, and excessive exposure to blue light late at night can disrupt wake and sleep cycles, leading to sleep problems and daytime fatigue.

From the above information we can conclude that any high intensity light will be harmful to human eyes. The light of grow lights can cause damage to human eyes and skin if the person is excessively exposed to these lights for a long time.

Do grow lights contain harmful substances?

LED: LED grow lights feature direct-emitting diodes and do not contain any heavy metals.

HID: HID grow bulbs are fragile and contain mercury, a toxic heavy metal that leaks mercury when the bulb is broken, which is harmful to our health.

Fluorescent: The fluorescent tube is filled with low-pressure argon or a mixture of argon-neon and mercury vapor, which leaks out if the bulb shatters.
The mercury content of the T9 lamp is higher, and the T5 and T8 also contain a small amount of mercury.

In this regard, LED grow lights are safer and more environmentally friendly. 

Tips for protecting users when using grow lights:

There are some precautions you can take when using grow lights:

1. Avoid looking directly at the grow light
2. Wearing protective glasses to protect your eyes from harmful rays.
3. Do not stare at your LED Grow light continuously for a long time.
4. People who underwent cataract surgery should not work under LED grow light with bare eyes.
5. Wear long-sleeved shirts and expose as little skin as possible.
6. For commercial cultivation, employees should be informed of the risks.

See more LED growers on the right way to make sure growers can do it safely.