The risks of chronic exposure to ultraviolet light in laboratory environment

Abstract The use of ultraviolet (UV) sources in laboratories requires safety practices. For example, when the ultraviolet light of laminar flow is on, it is important that the researcher or team members do not remain in the environment. There are laminar flows that have glasses with an ultraviolet light filter, but many models do not have any protection against ultraviolet light. Thus, we measured the irradiance inside and outside two types of laminar flows without UV filter and with UV filter respectively. And calculated the radiation levels that a researcher could receive at one meter distance for one hour daily in a time interval of one year. Thus, we found that chronic exposure to UV radiation from laminar flow can cause health risks. And we concluded that all laboratories must adopt safety measures, for example does not allow the presence of people during the disinfection stage of laminar flow with UV light.