As funny as they may seem, The laser pointers should not be used for recreational purposes, nor should it encourage the game (projecting figures or letters). Generalized unconsciousness has caused more than one accident resulting in injuries to the eyes of children, adolescents and adults.
Without going any further, the other day, some grandparents told in a television program how they had bought one for their grandson to play (cheaper than a toy comes out, yes, now, I would take care of myself). And as an argument they argued that since it was sold in stores "it could not be so bad."
Good, that if a product is sold it is not bad it could be qualified, because beyond that a regulation would be necessary, I can think of many items that can be used badly. From the pointers themselves: recently an astronomer pointed out a constellation with one of them, otherwise it would have been two teenagers pointing the faces of the assistants; going through an innocent knife that can help us chop carrots, or a two-year-old baby to hurt himself; or a specific medication for adults with which a child could get intoxicated ...
A document from the Community of Madrid indicates that many of these pointers they must have been withdrawn from the market by not complying with the regulations, putting (in addition) the health of consumers. In general terms, exposure to laser radiation should be as low as possible; in the case of these products we expose ourselves - if we ignore the recommendations - to skin lesions (ulcerations), pigmentation, erythema or carbonization of the skin.
The “fashion” of laser hand pointers
As they are not toys they should not have the appearance of such, and sometimes they do, as they are offered with other children's products. But believe me that they are more dangerous than they appear. Surely some of you have read some of these incidents in which someone is dedicated to dazzle aviation pilots at airports, in the United States there have been several complaints about the issue, here we have also had some such event.
Did I say dazzle? if only that ... One of the best documented cases of eye injuries by use of a laser pointer, it was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, and refers to a 15-year-old teenager who pointed to the mirror ended up with a very damaged eye sight, eye hemorrhage and several wounds around one of the eyes Wow, this seems serious, and indeed it is.
But it is not the only one, there are more people whose cause of sight damage has been identified, these lasers being responsible, including some well-known American athlete with the bad luck that there were some brains in the stadium.
Not long ago it was warned by the College of Optometrists of the Valencian Community, that "the responsible and rational use" of a laser pointer does not have to cause problems, but its incorrect use can cause damage to the retina or cornea of the person who receives the beam of lightning. ”
And now let's think responsible and rational use? In whose hands? What can happen to a child (sometimes I have seen "children" touching the thirties with one of these) with an instrument that among other uses is used to indicate at conferences? Suppose our son uses it well (I don't know exactly how but let's suppose), but can't his friends take it away? Can't you leave it forgotten?
I do not see clearly the responsible and rational use
The beam of a laser pointer in the eyes can cause irreversible damage
Some of the teenagers (or pre) around me for family or work issues will surely say "hey it's not always irreversible", "take it! Of course, and not always that you crash with the car you kill yourself "! But it can be, besides it should not be nice to get in the eye, and then you realize that you can not read the label where before put "Ice Cream."
The president of the College of Opticians mentioned above states that it is necessary to educate parents (very necessary) and children so that "under no circumstances" project the laser light on the face or eyes of a person; In addition to warning those who receive it that they should not look at the light, which even reflected in a mirror or reflecting surface, has the same energy.
In general terms, exposure to laser radiation should always be the minimum possible, although the regulations allow the use of some types of lasers. The main injury that can be caused is ocular (damage to the retina or loss of vision that could become permanent), but there is also a risk of skin lesions, such as ulcerations, pigmentation, erythema or carbonization of the skin. The fact that a laser produces a hazard depends on its wavelength, the duration or exposure time and the power or energy of the beam.
This man considers the pointers that have 1000 mW of power, they should be capable of being considered “pseudo-military weapons”, and that is one of their non-recreational, or professional uses, is attributed to the army or the field of experimental research.
It goes from milliwatts
Those who know about this say that a 5 mW laser can cause irreparable damage to vision if the beam strikes from less than 16 meters, up to 80 meters, the danger of temporary blindness is still present. The laser does not produce pain, and its effects do not have to be immediate, since sometimes they manifest up to three days later.
We are told by the technicians of the Community of Madrid who have prepared the mentioned Guide that the classification according to types of lasers by power and risk, must appear on the label, namely (it is common sense that consumers know what they buy):
Class 1. On the label you must put: Class 1 laser product.
Class 2. Tag: Laser radiation. Do not stare at the beam. Class 2 laser product.
Class 3A. Tag: Laser radiation. Do not stare at the beam. Class 3A laser product.
Class 3B. Tag: Laser radiation. Exposure to the beam is dangerous. Class 3A laser product.
Class 4. Tag: Laser radiation. Exposure of the eyes or skin to direct or diffuse beam radiation is dangerous. Class 4 laser product.
When using lasers for entertainment purposes in unsupervised areas, the standard recommends using only class 1 and class 2 lasers, although the latter should be used with caution. The use of higher lasers, class 3A, 3B and 4, would require the control of an experienced and well-trained person, since they may pose a risk to the user and other people even if they are at a distance
As you have seen, only those of Class 1 are exempt from risk, in spite of countless urban legends of type: “Well, the green ones are forbidden because they are dangerous, but my father has bought me this one that is red (so that it can bother the kids who meet behind my house) ”.
It is true that the greens have short wavelength, and can cause 'more' injuries, but that 'more' implies that the red ones can cause 'less', not that they are harmless.
But is it that nobody regulates its sale?
Each country has a regulation on the legal power of these lasers, but it is increasingly common for them to be purchased through the Internet, so that their origin becomes the most varied. And if we add the adjective of varied to the origin, the potential damage that could be caused could be attributed to the qualification of excessive.
You see, there are places like the United States where the maximum allowed power is 5 mW (five times higher than the United Kingdom), while on the Internet if you buy from a Spanish page you access a laser of up to 200 mW (Do you understand? Me neither).
Added to this comes the issue of breach of safety regulations, and we skip this time the fact noted above that aiming at the face of a person with one of these pots that do not occupy more than a pen is already breaking standards of security (common sense is not even breached because it was lost there).
Let's talk to the aforementioned document of the Community of Madrid: the labeling should always appear in Spanish and "With clear, visible, indelible and perfectly readable characters for the user".
In addition, the following data must be present: identification of the person responsible for the product; manufacturing lot; Product characteristics; CE marking; legend warning that the beam of light does not go to the eyes; clear instructions for assembly and use (including precautions); indication to locate all the laser holes of the product; Hazard indication on class 2 laser products.
In my opinion, laser pointers are not useful or necessary for children's play or studies, so why should they own one then? Well explained perhaps I get to understand, although a priori I think this is unlikely.
That is to say in the event that one of my children had the idea of having one, because the answer was going to be "no" without conditions, and no matter how they get. And although there are always those who say that absolute prohibitions are not good, neither do I give them alcohol, nor do I give them car keys (even if they knew how to drive), nor do I expose them to contents of extreme violence, because I do not believe that by age or maturity they knew manage none of this well, resulting in more than likely misuse.
