Without prejudice to the H&S documentation with your lamp, and your
company's H&S evaluation and risk assessment of this process.
I think the reference you need is from the International Commission on
Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection, where the UV-A (315nm-400nm) maximum
permissible radiant exposure for eyes within an 8 hour working day is 10
kJ/m^2. You can measure the amount of UV intensity with a radiometer,
and then multiply by time to get the dose.
I am not familiar with your particular UV lamp, but assume it is
essentially a "blacklight", producing UV-A only (no visible light, no
medium or short wave UV). Its output intensity (usually measured in
mW/cm^2) is relevant.
The good news is that the intensity of UV-A light falls off with the
square of the distance, in simple terms. In other words, by time it goes
from the lamp, to the board and reflects back to your eyes, it will be a
mere shadow of what it started out as (mixed metaphor intended!). You
can show that with your radiometer. To understand your process, you may
have to borrow or rent one if you haven't already got one. I expect and
hope you will find that you are well within the limit (as long as you
are not pointing lamp into your face!). Of course, some people are
ultra-sensitive, so will react to small amounts.
The other good news is that UV radiation is easily shielded. Most
plastics do a pretty good job (they tend to have UV inhibitors in them
to prevent yellowing). So the use of a pair of clear, UV blocking
spectacles or goggles is both very effective, cheap - and something I
would always recommended. UV-A is at the safe end of the UV spectrum,
but why risk anything when the protection is so easy?
Like most processes, this is pretty safe once the hazards are fully
understood by everyone involved and the appropriate PPE is used.
Hope your eyes are OK!
Regards,
Peter
--
--------------------------------------------------------
Peter Swanson [log in to unmask]
INTERTRONICS http://www.intertronics.co.uk
Tel: +44 1865 842842 Oxfordshire, England
INTERTRONICS is dedicated to providing quality material,
consumable and equipment solutions to the high technology,
high performance assembly industries, incorporating
outstanding levels of technical support and customer service.
Read our blog! http://www.intertronics.co.uk/blog/blog.htm
-----Original Message-----
From: TechNet [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Wee Mei
Sent: 27 April 2006 03:03
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [TN] UV Light cause eye cancer
Morning,
I just learned from TV news in Singapore that the eye doctors are seeing
an increase in eye cancer due to UV from sunlight. The symptoms of dry
eyes, red vessels and small lump on the eye ball described by the eye
doctors on TV are what I have experience recently.
I got worry as I have been inspecting conformal coating using UV lamp
daily between 15 min to 2 hours at a stretch. As for my colleague who
manual coat the boards, he can easily spent 4 - 5hours daily at such
work. Can someone provide some adivise on the effect.
We are using Long awve UV 365nm. The UV lamp is from Spectronics Corp
code BLE-760B.
Thanks in advance.
---------------------------------------------------
Technet Mail List provided as a service by IPC using LISTSERV 1.8e To
unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in
the BODY (NOT the subject field): SIGNOFF Technet To temporarily halt or
(re-start) delivery of Technet send e-mail to [log in to unmask]: SET
Technet NOMAIL or (MAIL) To receive ONE mailing per day of all the
posts: send e-mail to [log in to unmask]: SET Technet Digest Search the
archives of previous posts at: http://listserv.ipc.org/archives Please
visit IPC web site http://www.ipc.org/contentpage.asp?Pageid=4.3.16 for
additional information, or contact Keach Sasamori at [log in to unmask] or
847-615-7100 ext.2815
-----------------------------------------------------
Wee Mei
---------------------------------------------------
Technet Mail List provided as a service by IPC using LISTSERV 1.8e
To unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in
the BODY (NOT the subject field): SIGNOFF Technet
To temporarily halt or (re-start) delivery of Technet send e-mail to [log in to unmask]: SET Technet NOMAIL or (MAIL)
To receive ONE mailing per day of all the posts: send e-mail to [log in to unmask]: SET Technet Digest
Search the archives of previous posts at: http://listserv.ipc.org/archives
Please visit IPC web site http://www.ipc.org/contentpage.asp?Pageid=4.3.16 for additional information, or contact Keach Sasamori at [log in to unmask] or 847-615-7100 ext.2815
-----------------------------------------------------
|
