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A recent study released by researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has revealed an alarming trend. Of 122 hand-held laser pointers tested, 44% of laser engraving machine and 90% of green lasers tested failed federal safety regulations.
The primary culprit was overpowered units. The Code of Federal Regulations in the United States limits commercial class IIIa lasers to 5 milliwatts (mW). And yes, Laser Pointer above 5 mW are commercially available in the United States, but it is illegal to market them as Class IIIa devices. Some units in the NIST study tested as high as 13 times over the legal limit at 66.5 mW. For context, many military grade rifle mounted lasers are rated at 50 mW.
"Our results raise numerous safety questions regarding laser pointers and their use," stated NIST Green Star Laser Pointer 10mW safety officer in the recent paper presented at the Laser Safety Conference in Orlando, Florida.
Why should backyard astronomers care? Well, since hand-held lasers first became commercially available they've become a familiar staple at many public star parties. Reflecting back off of the dust and suspended particles in the atmosphere, a Blue Laser Pointer 10000mw provides a pointer beam allowing the user to trace out constellations and faint objects. Lasers can also be mounted on the optical tube assemblies of a telescope for pointing in lieu of a finder scope.
Police say someone in a campus building at Temple University shined a 50mw Green Laser at a police helicopter flying by.A photo was taken by a Philadelphia police chopper pilot over Morgan Hall at Temple University moments after a laser was pointed at the TAC Air Unit while on patrol last night.
The light from a laser can travel farther than a mile and can even damage the cornea. The FAA has investigated numerous cases where lasers blind pilots all across the country. Any properly educated and trained individual can operate a laser under the supervision of either a physician or a nurse. In an operating theatre, a technician operating a laser should be supervised by a licensed medical professional. In private practice, the laser user (clinician) frequently functions as the supervisor. No untrained individual should ever be allowed to operate a laser under any circumstance.
http://www.buylaserpointer.com/ed/201508/ultra-powerful-laser-pointer.html
