Talk:Black light

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[edit] Black light tattoos

Chameleon Tattoo Ink

[edit] merger

how was black light produced, who produced black light, when was black light made.

Wood's light and Black light seem to be two names to refer to the same thing. Should the article named Wood's light be merged into this one ? 16@r 10:57, 11 March 2006 (UTC)

  • yes! --Deglr6328 12:33, 11 March 2006 (UTC)

Yes, seems reasonable.

No. while "Wood's light" is a synonym for "black light", the article Wood's light is about something different—a medical diagnostic technique that uses a UV light to diagnose disease. This subject is distinct, and should definitely not be merged here. I am removing the merge tags. (Feel free to replace them if you still think the articles should be merged after reading this and checking the other article.)--Srleffler 05:28, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] long-wave ultraviolet

--Deglr6328 04:55, 7 September 2006 (UTC)

I was more referring to common use - as in, at a dance club, the tubes would be referred to UV Lights
I don't understand what point you are trying to make. --Deglr6328 03:28, 9 September 2006 (UTC)

I think the point the unsigning person is trying to make is just that the article should mention that, in the U.K., an everyday name is "UV light", rather than "black light". — President Lethe 04:52, 9 September 2006 (UTC)

Yes, that's the point I was trying to make. I've never head anyone in the UK call them black lights, but that may just be the area I live. 81.149.182.210 15:04, 16 September 2006 (UTC)

just put it into the article.--Deglr6328 18:02, 16 September 2006 (UTC)

I've added the note into the article. It could be phrased better, but please don't delete outright, without a discussion here. 81.137.159.61 14:58, 27 December 2006 (UTC) (AKA 81.149.182.210)

[edit] Health risks ?

[edit] Cancer

Isn't prolonged exposure to UV light dangerous? I heard someone saying that they wanted to purchase a blacklight but the warnings scared them off.

no one knows the extent of such an effect of being exposed to blacklights. but I would doubt it is that serious. after all, if you're not even getting a suntan from your exposure how bad could it be. --Deglr6328 18:04, 16 September 2006 (UTC)
Perhaps a section should be added to discuss this?--HoneymaneHeghlu meH QaQ jajvam 01:11, 21 December 2006 (UTC)
If there are citations, go for it but otherwise we'd just be speculating.--Deglr6328 07:14, 21 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Blindness

I am concerned about the crystalline lens. It opacifies with ultraviolet light, risking cataracts after a life's worth of sunlight. But decorative black lights do not trigger our pupilar reflexes, just as non-UV-proof bad sunglasses. Are black lights dangerous for, say, night-club workers? --84.20.17.84 09:20, 3 July 2007 (UTC)

I believe there may be some danger, and I am sure there has been research done on this. You make a good point about the lack of pupil constriction. Cumulative time spent under the lights without eye protection could yield greater exposure than what one might willingly accept outside or at a tanning salon. UV-blocking contact lenses could be worn and are probably available in a plano prescription (that is, with no prescriptive correction for those who desire only the UV filtering).
As an aside, you might be interested to know a study found unquestionable damage to the lens of the eye from exposure to microwave emissions from cellular phone antennas at very close-proximity to the eye (less than one inch for example). The damage was clearly visible in microsocopy photos of the lens. Some of the damage appeared to be reversible, and some not, if I recall correctly. The study & photos were freely retrievable over the web but I don't have the citation on this computer.
Also see my note on "Skin burns from prolonged exposure" just below.
--Parsiferon (talk) 07:24, 17 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Skin burns from prolonged exposure

I believe I did get a burn on my exposed skin (especially on sensitive skin such as lips) over the course of 4-5 hours in a large nightclub with intense blacklight throughout. I spent no time in the sun that day but felt discomfort in the club after several hours, and the next morning I clearly was burned somewhat. Perhaps their lights had defective phosphor or were not properly chosen for the application? Perhaps they mixed in some botanical or tanning bulbs by mistake? There was no visible difference among the bulbs, however, as far as I can remember. (Unfortunately we will never know for sure. The building was utterly obliterated by a hurricane.)

Can anyone comment on this please? How about a link to authoritative research on the topic, such as a Medline journal abstract. --Parsiferon (talk) 07:50, 17 February 2008 (UTC)


[edit] How used to authenticate banknotes

The article says "Black light testing is commonly used to authenticate antiques and banknotes." My question is how? I have a black light pen for this purpose, but I'm not sure what I'm looking for. Please add your answer to the article. --DBlomgren 03:35, 22 January 2007 (UTC)

I have added a pic as an example. If your bills look different, either your euros are wrong or your lamp is different. My (well, Commons') 5000 Euro cents. --84.20.17.84 09:08, 3 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] places to buy

yea, i know this is completely not even a major issue, but i've looked on every search engine and cant find anything, but are there such things as 96" blacklights, and if there are, can someone please tell me where i can get some? and if they don't im curious as to why they don't. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 166.82.242.104 (talk) 01:15, 27 February 2007 (UTC).

[edit] Diagram

It would be helpful to annotate the spectral diagram with the visible spectrum colors, and names of non-visible segments. -- Beland 00:33, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Does semen really fluoresce under a black light?

A google search will turn up many examples of anecdotal evidence that semen will fluoresce under a black light, but I have been unable to find a verifiable source that it does. This article is a scientific study trying 29 different semen samples, and they could not get it to "glow" under any circumstances. The theory is maybe semen does not glow but has been confused with other substances in the past... http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/104/6/1342

Similarly for blood. The closest thing I've found that deals with blood and black lights said that blood becomes darker than its background (link). Admittedly, that one's an ad, but a search for "UV and blood" and "blood fluorescence" doesn't provide many results. The former returns references to a spray that makes blood fluoresce (most likely luminol), while the second returns several studies relating to fluorescence of blood with living cells, which wouldn't be the case if blood is spilled (as in a homicide). Can anyone explain? StoicalSoul (talk) 04:04, 18 March 2008 (UTC)