RE: Calling all laser experts

["Pickett, Bruce D" <Bruce.Pickett@PSS.Boeing.com>]

One of our suppliers recently gave one of our people a gift of a laser
pointer emblazoned with their tradename. At the "business end" of the
pointer was a minuscule laser warning label which could not be read except
with a magnifying glass, and even then it was blurry. Through the magnifying
glass, we could make out that this was a class IIIa laser, and also that its
output was 5 Mw [sic]. Of course its a typo, but taken literally it
signifies a five megawatt laser. "Use the force, Luke."

Bruce Pickett
The Boeing Company
Seattle, WA

> ----------
> From:
> elizabeth_algutifan@wssrap-host.wssrap.com[SMTP:elizabeth_algutifan@wssrap
> -host.wssrap.com]
> Sent: 	Thursday, October 29, 1998 5:42 AM
> To: 	Multiple recipients of list
> Subject: 	Calling all laser experts
> 
> Hey Radsafers,
> 
> I took my kids to the mall here in St. Charles last night.  My older son
> had
> been begging me for a week to get him a "cool laser" to use on Halloween
> night
> ("All the other kids have one, Mom," he pleaded).  The first gift shop we
> came
> to had some key chains hanging near the cash register.  My son immediately
> recognized them as laser key chains, so I picked one up and looked at it.
> It
> had a warning label that said it was a Class IIIa, red laser in the
> 660-680 nm
> wavelength range.  It said "Keep out reach of children" (not my typo; an
> import
> I guess) and "Do not point directly in the eyes" (well, yeah, that makes
> sense!)
>  It was selling for $14.99.  I did not buy it for him (because I know
> someone
> will ask).  Of course, I know that these key chains are becoming very
> popular
> among school children, as are laser pointers and other types of laser
> devices
> that are sold over the counter in some retail stores.  Our local school
> district
> has just made a rule forbidding children to bring any type of laser
> devices to
> school under any circumstances.  A child at my kids' school was just
> suspended
> for bringing a laser pointer to class (a third grader).
> 
> Now, my question is, isn't a Class IIIa laser a pretty severe ocular
> hazard? And
> what can we as health physicists do about it?  I'm no expert in this
> field, but
> the bits and pieces I've read from studying for the CHP exam indicate to
> me that
> it's an immediate ocular hazard if intrabeam viewing occurs.  I'd like
> others'
> thoughts on this issue; I was so upset last night about these things being
> in
> plain view in retail stores (and at a child's eye level) that I was
> thinking
> about calling up the FDA.  This seems to be a significant acute radiation
> issue
> to me, that you folks will be interested in.  I hope I'm not overreacting,
> and I
> think I am not.  Thanks for the help and advice.
> 
> Elizabeth Algutifan,
> Environmental Health Physicist
> WSSRAP
> St. Charles, MO
> Elizabeth_Algutifan@wssrap-host.wssrap.com
> 
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