Halogen Lights Dangerous?

I told my wife I was going to buy a halogen desk lamp, and she protested that they are dangerous. I asked her why, and she didn't really know. Maybe something she read. I also mentioned that I already have one on my desk. Too small for this desk, that's why I want another one. BTW, what's the story on power consumption and illumination? Better, worse than incadescent lights?

Skip the halogen, they are dangerous if you have a kid around, they love to touch everything on the desk, check out the "natural" light lamps, they are more $$ but looked great in my side-by-side comparison to the halogen.

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Halogens *ARE* incandescents. The main difference is the operating temperature - Halogens run MUCH hotter than a "regular" bulb. They're also usually much "tougher" - in that they're harder to break - than a standard incandescent, which makes knocking them over somewhat more dangerous than a regular bulb - regular bulb is likely to pop on impact, which will cause it to go out in a blaze of glory, PROBABLY (but by no means certainly) without starting a fire. A halogen, with its tougher bulb and higher operating temperature, is likely to survive being tipped over without breaking, and continue to work, with the result that it could start a fire where an "normal" lamp would have just done a "pop - fzzzt! Game over" thing.

Certain halogen fixtures (notably, the "torchiere" style) are a problem, as the "open end" is up, which allows flammable "stuff" (dust, hairs, paper scraps, and whatnot) to collect on and around the bulb, leading to a fire hazard even without it being tipped over. Fixtures like a desk lamp, where the open end is (usually) pointed down, don't have this problem - they don't act as a "funnel" to concentrate and dump flammable stuff on/around the bulb.

Otherwise, halogens are no more or less dangerous than a regular incandescent - both have the potential to burn your house down around your ears, but with reasonable precautions, pretty much identical for both types, neither is likely to do so.

Halogen lamps give off UV radiation, and UV can cause skin cancer. I seem to remember there was small scare about this a few years ago. I expect that is what your wife is thinking of.

There is some more information here:

Gareth

Thanks. I'm planning on buying a popular type. Can't recall the brand. I see about 20 models of them at our local Staples store. Tripod? Something like that. I have a small halogen lamp on my desk, and I just looked to see who made it. China. No other clue. Looks just like one at Staples, but even that may not be the Tripod. Well, when my wife gets into the picture, there's no telling what line of reasoning she'll come up with. :-) Then there's the instance of me wanting to put a padlock on an outdoor power panel ...

Yes. That's what I remember. Also noticed about 3 years ago the manufacturers starting to covering the fitments with a particular glass. What's annoying is that the UV aspect would have been fully known before the original bulbs were marketed. regards john.

The UV story is interesting, but I have some difficulty believing they are so harmful. I forget the name of the company that is a large mfger of them, but Staples has about 20 of their models at their stores. I would think they would have safety warnings on them if what is said is true.

I'm sitting here with a small one shining down on my desk--not a me. In fact, I have a bag of about 100 UV detecting beads that I just put under the light. I see no glow like I would if I exposed them to sun light. Perhaps the glass shield on the light is effective in blocking the UV. That's generally the case with window panes. They stop the sun's UV. I think fire and burns are a higher risk.

However, keep your fingers off the halogen bulb- even when it is cold. Oils on your fingers can lead to hotter spots and failure.

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These days they have glass UV filters over the bulb. I have a few of the "Staples specials" with the boom and geared counter-weights in the bedroom and my office. I put in halogen track lights in the computer room, halogen torchieres in the family and living rooms, a couple of halogen worklights around the house, and halogen floods in the back yard and kitchen. I like halogens quite a lot. ;-)

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That's exactly what the glass is there for. Even my torchieres, which are pointed towards the ceiling, have a glass filters over them.

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------- Possibly the torchieres have glass for the same reason that old beds had canopies. In both cases it is to keep the crap off. (Mousecrap in the case of the bed or dust in case of the bulb- in either case improves the life of what or who is underneath). :)

This concern is mostly minor, and although lesser it's not quite zero with non-halogen incandescents. Usually, being outdoors in daylight conditions (even with sky overcast by clouds) is worse for carcinogenic UV exposure than being indoors and being irradiated byv most halogen lighting fixtures being used as directed.

- Don Klipstein ( snipped-for-privacy@misty.com)

Well, I bought a good sized desk lamp at Staples and am happily using it. They do get hot though. Having them within the reach of you children probably isn't good. Mine has a long arm bent at 90 degres. The angle is adjustable. If the pivot slipped, it would easily slide down to the papers on my desk. However, there's a veritcal pole extending down from the lamp. Ostensibly it's there to adjust the lamp's head, but it also seem to be a safety feature in case the pivot slips.

Interestingly, after all my wife's protesting, she decided to use the smaller one I no longer use! :-)

-Well, I bought a good sized desk lamp at Staples and am happily using it.

-They do get

-hot though. Having them within the reach of you children probably isn't

-good. Mine

-has a long arm bent at 90 degres. The angle is adjustable. If the pivot

-slipped, it

-would easily slide down to the papers on my desk. However, there's a

-veritcal pole

-extending down from the lamp. Ostensibly it's there to adjust the lamp's

-head, but it

-also seem to be a safety feature in case the pivot slips.

-Interestingly, after all my wife's protesting, she decided to use the

-smaller one I

-no longer use! :-)

Wayne T. Watson (Watson Adventures, Prop., Nevada City, CA) (121.015 Deg. W, 39.262 Deg. N) GMT-8 hr std. time) Obz Site: 39° 15' 7" N, 121° 2' 32" W, 2700 feet