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A law that promises up to five years of prison time for someone aiming a Laser Pointer 50000mw at an aircraft was unanimously passed by the Judiciary Committee of the US House of Representatives.
"It's only a matter of time before one of these laser-beam-pranksters ends up killing over 200 people in a commercial airline crash," said the bill抯 author, Ric Keller, a Republican congressman from Orlando, Florida. Although the Securing Airplane Cockpits Against Laser Pointer Blue 30000mw Act still has a long path of head of it before it becomes law, the arguments made by Keller greatly exaggerate the danger posed by laser pointers.
In a speech supporting his bill, Keller said "These easily available pen-sized 100mw laser pointer , like the one I purchased here for $12 at the House of Representatives Office Supply Store, have enough power to cause vision problems in pilots from a distance of two miles.
The skin and other tissues of all patients and all personnel present in the laser room must be protected from unintended exposure to the laser beam.
Flammability is a potential laser hazard associated with most high power systems, but only rarely in the use of low power or diffuse beams. Many flammable products are used routinely in clinical procedures, and the LSO, as well as the everyone on the laser team, must continually assess products and devices in use in the 50mw Green Laser Pointer target site, for compatibility with the beam, and potential hazards. These items may include: dry or non-woven fabrics, plastic, rubber, solutions containing alcohol, tape removers, skin degreasers, foam devices, and skin preparation solutions.
Solutions that contain iodophors, (Hibiclens, Betadine, etc.) must be thoroughly dry before firing the Cat Chasing Laser Pointer, as heat can cause a chemical burn to the skin if it interacts with wet solution. All of these, as well as many other products, can become a fire hazard, when exposed to the heat produced by a high intensity laser beam.
The common 5.0 milliwatt laser pointer is classified as a "distraction" by safety officials at distances of 3,000 feet (less than two miles), and in the worst case scenario (at a distance of 300 feet) is considered to be a temporary visual nuisance, similar to the glare from an oncoming car's headlights or the flash from a point-and-shoot camera. Although pilots should never be the target of a laser pointer.
