Blue Light Hazard and Risk Group Classification of 8 W LED Tubes, Replacing Fluorescent Tubes, through Optical Radiation Measurements

Francesco Leccese,Viola Vandelanotte,Michele Rocca,Giacomo Salvadori

doi:10.3390/su71013454

Abstract

In this paper, the authors discuss the results of a measurement survey of artificial optical radiation emitted by 8 W LED tubes suitable for the substitution of 18 W fluorescent lamps used for general lighting. For both types of lamps, three different color temperatures were chosen, 3000 K, 4000 K, and 6000 K. These measurements were performed to evaluate the photobiological safety of the sources. The radiance and irradiance values have been measured in a wide range of wavelengths (180–3000 nm). The measurement results obtained for the LED tubes have been compared to those of similar measurements obtained for fluorescent lamps. The analysis has been focused on the range of wavelengths 300–700 nm, the blue light range, which turned out to be defining for the risk groups of the lamps. This classification is a function of the maximum permissible exposure time as indicated in the European Standard EN 62471 on the photobiological safety of lamps and lamp systems.

Highlights

Artificial optical radiation (AOR) is emitted by a very wide range of sources that people may be exposed to, in the workplace and elsewhere
The following results of the AOR measurements have been divided in groups according to the type of source (LED tube or fluorescent lamp) and color temperature (3000 K, 4000 K or 6000 K)
Emitted by 8 W LED tubes, which are suitable for the substitution of 18 W fluorescent lamps

Summary

Introduction

Artificial optical radiation (AOR) is emitted by a very wide range of sources that people may be exposed to, in the workplace and elsewhere. Nowadays the sources most used for the lighting of workplaces ( offices) are fluorescent lamps [7,8,9] With their efficacy, approaching that of fluorescent lamps, their long durability, small size and low weight, LEDs are very often used to replace existing lamps [9,10,11]. These new applications have placed increasingly stringent demands on the optical characterization of LEDs, which serves as the fundamental baseline for product quality and product design [8,12,13,14,15,16]

Results

Discussion

Conclusion