laser pointers

["David F. Gilmore" <dgilmore@navajo.astate.edu>]

There recently was a discussion of the ubiquity and safety of laser 
pointers here on radsafe.  I thought I'd report that a bill has just 
passed committee in Arkansas to ban the sale of laser pointers to 
minors.  In the article, it refers to the beam as "light that 
scientists say is potentionally more dangerous to vision than staring 
directly at the sun."  I saw no discussion of different classes or 
powers of lasers, or of the blink reflex.  I wouldn't be surprised if 
their was a lack of scientific expertise in their deliberations. I 
think the ban is a good idea anyway;  my wife was a bit rattled when 
she turned away from the blackboard in the college class she was 
teaching and found that she was being laser-pointed.  I'd be 
interested in knowing if any universities out there have policy about 
students bringing laser pointers to class.


HANDBELL PEOPLE have all gone campan-

David F. Gilmore
Assistant Professor of Environmental Biology   
P.O. Box 599, Dept. of Biological Sciences  
Arkansas State University 
State University, AR 72467
dgilmore@navajo.astate.edu
dgilmo@fastdata.net
ph  870-972-3082    fax 870-972-2638
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