IEC 62471 Photobiological Safety of Lamps and Lamp Systems UV

Photobiological Safety of Lamps – IEC 62471 Standard

IEC 62471 is a standard developed by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) for assessing the photobiological safety of lamps, including potential hazards to humans, animals, and plants. This standard applies to all types of lamps, including LED lamps, covering various light wavebands such as ULtraviolet, visible, and infraRED radiation. Through testing and evaluation of lamps, it can be ensured that they do not cause excessive harm to humans and other organisms.

IEC 62471 is a comprehensive standard that addresses all potential health hazards from artificial optical radiators, covering ultraviolet, visible, and infrared spectra. IEC/TR 62778 report specifically discusses the hazards described in Clauses 4.3.3 and 4.3.4 of IEC 62471:2006, known as retinal blue light hazard, since it is mainly caused by the blue-light portion of the visible spectrum, which poses potential risks to the retina.

In IEC 62471, the maximum permissible exposure time  for evaluation depends on both the product itself and the observation distance. For general lighting lamps, the evaluation distance is taken at the position where illuminance is 500 lx, but not less than 200 mm.

Since illuminance values above or below 500 lx are common in practical applications, the test distance is specified as 200 mm in the IEC/TR 62778 report, with the measured field angle set at 0.011 radians. The field angle of a light source is not only related to the size of the light source but also to the viewing distance.

In IEC 62471,  is calculated using the large-source method under Clause 4.3.3 if the measured field angle is greater than or equal to 0.011 radians, and using the small-source method under Clause 4.3.4 if the measured field angle is less than 0.011 radians.

The IEC 62471 standard covers various light sources and optical systems, including lasers, LED lamps, fluorescent lamps, vehicle lamps, etc. It adopts a method called “photobiological safety assessment” to evaluate the photobiological safety performance of light sources or optical systems. Based on studies of the photobiological effects on human eyes and skin under exposure to light of different wavelengths, this method classifies light sources or optical systems into four risk classes: exempt (no risk), low risk, moderate risk, and high risk.

Photobiological Safety Test Items for LED Lamps

• PhotocheMICal ultraviolet hazard to skin and eyes

• Near-ultraviolet hazard to eyes

• Retinal blue light hazard

• Retinal blue light hazard – small sources

• Retinal thermal hazard

• Retinal thermal hazard – low-level visual stimulus

• Infrared radiation hazard to eyes

• Skin thermal exposure hazard

Applicable Standards for Photobiological Safety of LED Lamps

• IEC 62471:2006 Photobiological safety of lamps and lamp systems

• EN 62471:2008 Photobiological safety of lamps and lamp systems

• GB/T 20145-2006 Photobiological safety of lamps and lamp systems

• IEC TR 62778:2014 Application of IEC 62471 for the assessment of blue light hazard to light sources and luminaires

• IEC/EN 62471-5:2015 Photobiological safety of lamps and lamp systems – Part 5: Projectors

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