Bulb Malfunction Sends 18 to Hospital

stevep · #1 09-15-2005, 03:12 PM

COLUMBIA, Tenn. (AP) -- A malfunctioning light bulb in a school gym exposed more than 100 people to short-wave radiation for an hour, sending 18 to the hospital with severe sunburns and swollen eyes.

The incident occurred during a Sept. 11 memorial event held Friday at the Baker Elementary School in Columbia. Attendees, many of whom were military veterans, said they started to feel sy"While I was sitting in the auditorium, my forehead started itching real bad," said Fred Young, 73. "When I got home I looked into the mirror and my face looked real red."

Most victims were older adults who were sitting together under the broken lamp. No children were admitted to Maury Regional Hospital, according to Dr. David Turner.

Dr. Michael Richardson, another emergency room doctor, said the symptoms, similar to overexposure from a tanning bed, were produced by a radiation leak from a halide bulb. The bulbs, commonly used in gyms, are designed with a special membrane that blocks the UV rays, but occasionally the membranes break.

Jumpmaster · #2 09-15-2005, 03:20 PM

That would suck!!!

JM-99

Lynx_Arc · #3 09-15-2005, 03:24 PM

At least they didn't get charged for a tanning session!
Methinks they need a UV detector similar to a smoke detector in that place now.
I saw one at Target on clearance awhile back on a keychain for $10.

IsaacHayes · #4 09-15-2005, 03:47 PM

Swollen eyes! That sounds really gross and painfull!! AHHH!!

Lynx: a UV or smoke detector keychain? (Imagine a full size smoke detector with a split ring for your keychain LOL) (now I want to wear one on a necklace like a rapper wears a big clock. And go into a bar. BEEEEP BEEEP, "Sir please put that out!!") ahhahaha

I'm not sure what membrane they are talking about. I thought lights like that had an outside glass case, and glass filters UV... Did that break and fall to the ground at one point??? Or is there some other weird "membrane" ?

Lynx_Arc · #5 09-15-2005, 06:30 PM

The keychain gadget was a UV detector but I guess you could adapt it like a smoke detector on the walls.

PhotonWrangler · #6 09-15-2005, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IsaacHayes

I'm not sure what membrane they are talking about. I thought lights like that had an outside glass case, and glass filters UV... Did that break and fall to the ground at one point??? Or is there some other weird "membrane" ?

I think it was a poor choice of words on the part of the reporter. I'm sure that what he meant to say was that the outer glass envelope had cracked or failed and was allowing the UVC radiation from the inner arc tube's quartz envelope to escape.

That's why HID lamps carry a warning to stop using them if the outer bulb envelope breaks! The custodial staff was negligent for not catching that and removing that bulb.

yuandrew · #7 09-16-2005, 11:28 AM

I've played with a bare Mercury Vapor Arc tube one time. It was tricky to get it started without the proper ballast but I did manage to light it. Good thing I had it in a drinking glass.

We use MH bulbs for lighting the Multi-Purpose room at my church in industrial warehouse fixtures. The lights now have a cover under the bulb to prevent that kind of "tanning" after one of the fixtures were broken with a basket ball. Good thing they changed it immediately.

Now I'll have to think about those xenon headlights.

Zelandeth · #8 09-16-2005, 02:02 PM

Eigh, sounds like a combination of bad luck, bad luminare design, or cheap lamps there.

A lot of HID lamps have an element inside them which will go open circuit rapidly if the enevelope cracks - unfortunately, the lamp will still operate for a time. In my opinion all luminares of this type should have an external UV shield, just in case.

Aside from anything else, if the outer bulb was broken - what the results in those circumstances, of the arc tube rupturing (which can happen with metal halide lamps of course) I shudder to think.

DUQ · #9 09-18-2005, 03:45 AM

Thats happened a few times now. They really need to get rid of metal halide/mercury vapour lighting systems. They shouldnt even be used indoors.

James S · #10 09-18-2005, 07:10 AM

what it aught to be is a product liability lawsuit. They have known how these fail this way forever. The first article I read about this happening must have been 15 years ago or more. It's not just a matter of routine maintenance as the cracking or breaking isn't always visible from a hundred feet below the lamp when these are way up in the air. I would consider these particular light fixtures defective rather than throw away the whole technology. It should be simple enough to design a fixture where it's not possible for this to happen.