I heard from my friend (he works in tissue culture) that once he accidentally looked at a uvc lamp in one of the boxes (G30T8) and in the night he felt like his eyes were filled with sand. He recovered after a few hours.


Is this true? Does it cause any actual damage or temporary feeling?

Although I have never suffered from this myself, I have heard many times from many sources that this is the case. This almost certainly causes some sort of permanent damage, as any exposure to electromagnetic wave frequencies at UVC and above increase risk of cancer, even if it is very mildly for a short exposure. I don’t know if eye cancer is a thing, but skin exposure certainly increases your risk of skin cancer in the exposed areas. The only UVC lamp I own is a 4w low-voltage mercury discharge filament lamp (in my gallery), and I am very careful with it. A completely harmless object can become very harmful once energized.

I am sure someone else on this platform has experienced this firsthand and can advise you about the recovery process and any long term effects.

I've been very careful with them too. I make my phone record while I go outside and turn on the lamp briefly.

Also, on another note, if I put the glass from a normal fluorescent tube on a germicidal lamp, is it completely safe?

I heard from my friend (he works in tissue culture) that once he accidentally looked at a uvc lamp in one of the boxes (G30T8) and in the night he felt like his eyes were filled with sand. He recovered after a few hours.


Is this true? Does it cause any actual damage or temporary feeling?

Sure. "Welder's eye"

Though of course just a brief look is not enough.

This is a temporary feeling within a *reasonable* exposure. Interestingly, cancer is more about the cumulative risk of repeated exposure to longer wavelengths.

Sort of. Yes, the glass of a fluorescent tube virtually completely blocks all UV from making it through, however, just slipping some glass tubing over a fluorescent tube is going to leave gaps at the end of the tube. Sealing these with just about anything would work, but keep in mind that many materials will rapidly degrade with UV exposure. I personally would probably use strips of aluminum foil tape (used for ducting). Aluminum is metal, so obviously doesn’t degrade with UV. This would be a pretty permanent solution.

But... Messing with the glass from fluorescent tubes exposes one to mercury, which of course can not be considered a healthy practice, too

The glass tubing doesn’t have to be sourced from another fluorescent tube. Glass tubing of the proper size can be sourced from eBay among other places as well.

Also, I believe exposure to UV is cumulative and I don’t think your cancer risk goes away, though I may be wrong.

Mercury exposure is also cumulative, but it does exit your body over time. As long as you are not overexposing yourself, your body will clean it out eventually. Opening a fluorescent tube on a breezy day outside would probably be the best way to do it. I still don’t recommend that, you get one life and you want to preserve it.

Not true and not true.

Exposure to UVC is mostly about acute burns. Probably repeated exposure to low doses is increasing cancer risk too, but the real practical concern is usually about acute damage.

Then the problem with messing with fluorescents is not the mercury vapor. If you calculate, actual mass is negligible and is not any concern. But you have liquid mercury (up to 100mg in old lamps or even more in sign tubes) and also mercury absorbed to a phosphor. Breaking the tube will certainly unsettle some of that phosphor and you will even breathe some of it. Which is certainly not the best thing to do in your life, haha

Even if it is insignificant risk, it still freaks me out and makes me not wanna do it, and I wouldn’t recommend anyone else do it. What if someone listens to my instructions and gets hurt? I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. You are almost certainly right, but I am paranoid.