Are HPS grow lights safe?
What is a HPS grow lights?
Before we look at some of the best HPS grow lights in the market, it is good to understand what they are first. HPS stands for high-pressure sodium. HPS light comes in the form of a narrow arc tube held by a wire frame. HPS light contains xenon gas, high-pressure solid sodium and mercury.
How HPS light works
HPS light works by using ballast, which creates a pulse that stirs the gas in the bulbs or lamps. The ballast first ignites the xenon gas, which in turn generates a flow of electrons. The electrons heat up the arc producing a pale blue light. After this, the arc vapors mercury into gas generating a deeper blue color. Finally, the sodium gas vapors turn the arc into a yellow color spectrum.
These are all the colours that provide lighting effects that influence the growth of the crops. All the colours have different wavelengths depending on the gases inside them. Majority of the HPS bulbs are ideal for the FLOWERING phases of the crops because of their orange and red lights.
Though you can use the lights for other stages, it is better to supplement HPS grow lights with other lights during the other growing stages for even better yields. Before we look at the advantages and disadvantages of HPS grow light, we did a roundup of the best HPS grow lights in the market and came up with the following six products that you cannot afford not to try if you want the best out of your cannabis.
UV and Infrared Rays
High-intensity discharge lights include mercury vapor, fluorescent grow light, High-Pressure Sodium (HPS), and Metal Halide (MH) bulbs. All of these grow bulbs emit visible light, as well as Infrared and Ultraviolet light. What does that mean? It means that safety should always be at the front of your mind. You need to protect your eyes every single time you step into your grow room! If the sun can damage our skin, what do you think high-intensity bulbs are doing to your eyeballs?
All parts of the electromagnetic spectrum release radiation, however, different wavelengths release different types of radiation. Ultraviolet light emits UVA, UVB, and UVC radiation. UVA is the longest wavelength, however, UVB and UVC pose the greatest risks. Although UVC is the shortest wavelength, it is the most harmful to human skin and eyes. The earth’s atmosphere filters out most of the UVC from sunlight. But if you use indoor grow lights, you are at risk for exposure that is unsafe. “More than 99% of UV radiation is absorbed by the front of the eyes,” so in your grow room, your eyes are in danger every time your lights turn on.
Infrared rays are generally considered less dangerous than UV rays, however, prolonged close-up exposure may cause cataracts. Ultraviolet rays are wavelengths that are too short for the human eye to see. These shorter wavelengths cause higher energy output. Infrared rays are too long for the eye to detect and are less energetically active than UV. To put it simply, infrared waves only have enough energy to move molecules around, causing heat. Ultraviolet waves, however, have enough energy to break up molecules, causing more damage to skin and eyes. They can cause cataracts, macular degeneration, and damage to the cornea.
In addition to breaking up molecules, UV rays cause chemical reactions in the skin and eyes that create oxidants. These oxidants cause cancer.
Metal halide lamps let off the most UV rays because the light is focused in the cool, or blue, end of the spectrum. You should always protect your eyes when exposed to radiation. In indoor grow areas, it is particularly important to protect your eyes when under metal halide lamps. Wearing specialized eye protection is the best way to do this. Regular old sunglasses won’t do much to protect you from the extreme rays of indoor grow lamps. Some sunglasses do protect against UV’s, which is a big concern, but UV’s aren’t the only thing straining your eyes in the grow room.
Can HPS Lights Damage Your Eyes?
Long an industry standard, many expert growers earned their chops working under these intense light sources. Some still prefer HPS lights over LED due to their sheer intensity, although newer LED models are starting to catch up in this regard.
High-pressure sodium lights, HPS lights, are intense. Just like the sun, indoor HPS lights are so harsh (at such close range) they can trigger irreversible damage to your vision. The typical HPS light fixture emits UVA, UVB, and UVC ultraviolet light, although at a lower intensity than the sun. Under the sun's rays humans are exposed to UVB and UVA, but, most of the UVC light is filtered out through the earth’s atmosphere. This is not so for indoor HPS grow lights.
Ultraviolet light is hazardous for human eyesight. Exposure to the ultraviolet spectrum, and especially the UVC portion, can lead to problems perceiving color, cataracts, and reduced night vision. If you grow under HPS lights, be sure to source a pair of specialized HPS grow-room glasses as regular sunglasses don’t offer protection from UVC rays.
High pressure sodium lights have made indoor growth of crops possible, but without the proper safety precautions these lights can do serious damage to the human eye. The damage done is often times irreversible so it is imperative that people working in grow rooms take the proper steps to protect their eyes. Safety glasses are designed specifically for this application. They filter out the light waves that cause harm to the human eye while also helping the wearer see their crops more clearly when they are working so they are not only being protected from dangerous frequencies of light but they are also seeing with more clarity and therefore are able to be more productive. Let’s gain a deeper understanding of the lights themselves and why it is so essential for growers and other grow house workers to protect their eyes from prolonged exposure to high pressure sodium lights.
High Pressure Sodium and Metal Halide Lights
These lights are incredibly strong and they have worked wonders for modern growers. They allow growers to get quantity and quality out of their indoor growth harvests. However, the damage these lights do to human eyes is permanent so the proper safety precautions must be observed if you want to keep your eyes healthy.
Before we look at some of the best HPS grow lights in the market, it is good to understand what they are first. HPS stands for high-pressure sodium. HPS light comes in the form of a narrow arc tube held by a wire frame. HPS light contains xenon gas, high-pressure solid sodium and mercury.
How HPS light works
HPS light works by using ballast, which creates a pulse that stirs the gas in the bulbs or lamps. The ballast first ignites the xenon gas, which in turn generates a flow of electrons. The electrons heat up the arc producing a pale blue light. After this, the arc vapors mercury into gas generating a deeper blue color. Finally, the sodium gas vapors turn the arc into a yellow color spectrum.
These are all the colours that provide lighting effects that influence the growth of the crops. All the colours have different wavelengths depending on the gases inside them. Majority of the HPS bulbs are ideal for the FLOWERING phases of the crops because of their orange and red lights.
Though you can use the lights for other stages, it is better to supplement HPS grow lights with other lights during the other growing stages for even better yields. Before we look at the advantages and disadvantages of HPS grow light, we did a roundup of the best HPS grow lights in the market and came up with the following six products that you cannot afford not to try if you want the best out of your cannabis.
UV and Infrared Rays
High-intensity discharge lights include mercury vapor, fluorescent grow light, High-Pressure Sodium (HPS), and Metal Halide (MH) bulbs. All of these grow bulbs emit visible light, as well as Infrared and Ultraviolet light. What does that mean? It means that safety should always be at the front of your mind. You need to protect your eyes every single time you step into your grow room! If the sun can damage our skin, what do you think high-intensity bulbs are doing to your eyeballs?
All parts of the electromagnetic spectrum release radiation, however, different wavelengths release different types of radiation. Ultraviolet light emits UVA, UVB, and UVC radiation. UVA is the longest wavelength, however, UVB and UVC pose the greatest risks. Although UVC is the shortest wavelength, it is the most harmful to human skin and eyes. The earth’s atmosphere filters out most of the UVC from sunlight. But if you use indoor grow lights, you are at risk for exposure that is unsafe. “More than 99% of UV radiation is absorbed by the front of the eyes,” so in your grow room, your eyes are in danger every time your lights turn on.
Infrared rays are generally considered less dangerous than UV rays, however, prolonged close-up exposure may cause cataracts. Ultraviolet rays are wavelengths that are too short for the human eye to see. These shorter wavelengths cause higher energy output. Infrared rays are too long for the eye to detect and are less energetically active than UV. To put it simply, infrared waves only have enough energy to move molecules around, causing heat. Ultraviolet waves, however, have enough energy to break up molecules, causing more damage to skin and eyes. They can cause cataracts, macular degeneration, and damage to the cornea.
In addition to breaking up molecules, UV rays cause chemical reactions in the skin and eyes that create oxidants. These oxidants cause cancer.
Metal halide lamps let off the most UV rays because the light is focused in the cool, or blue, end of the spectrum. You should always protect your eyes when exposed to radiation. In indoor grow areas, it is particularly important to protect your eyes when under metal halide lamps. Wearing specialized eye protection is the best way to do this. Regular old sunglasses won’t do much to protect you from the extreme rays of indoor grow lamps. Some sunglasses do protect against UV’s, which is a big concern, but UV’s aren’t the only thing straining your eyes in the grow room.
Can HPS Lights Damage Your Eyes?
Long an industry standard, many expert growers earned their chops working under these intense light sources. Some still prefer HPS lights over LED due to their sheer intensity, although newer LED models are starting to catch up in this regard.
High-pressure sodium lights, HPS lights, are intense. Just like the sun, indoor HPS lights are so harsh (at such close range) they can trigger irreversible damage to your vision. The typical HPS light fixture emits UVA, UVB, and UVC ultraviolet light, although at a lower intensity than the sun. Under the sun's rays humans are exposed to UVB and UVA, but, most of the UVC light is filtered out through the earth’s atmosphere. This is not so for indoor HPS grow lights.
Ultraviolet light is hazardous for human eyesight. Exposure to the ultraviolet spectrum, and especially the UVC portion, can lead to problems perceiving color, cataracts, and reduced night vision. If you grow under HPS lights, be sure to source a pair of specialized HPS grow-room glasses as regular sunglasses don’t offer protection from UVC rays.
High pressure sodium lights have made indoor growth of crops possible, but without the proper safety precautions these lights can do serious damage to the human eye. The damage done is often times irreversible so it is imperative that people working in grow rooms take the proper steps to protect their eyes. Safety glasses are designed specifically for this application. They filter out the light waves that cause harm to the human eye while also helping the wearer see their crops more clearly when they are working so they are not only being protected from dangerous frequencies of light but they are also seeing with more clarity and therefore are able to be more productive. Let’s gain a deeper understanding of the lights themselves and why it is so essential for growers and other grow house workers to protect their eyes from prolonged exposure to high pressure sodium lights.
High Pressure Sodium and Metal Halide Lights
These lights are incredibly strong and they have worked wonders for modern growers. They allow growers to get quantity and quality out of their indoor growth harvests. However, the damage these lights do to human eyes is permanent so the proper safety precautions must be observed if you want to keep your eyes healthy.
评论
发表评论