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New York, NY – Metal halide Light bulbs, which are about the size of a football and give out bright, white light. Many say eyes were damaged, perhaps permanently, by ultraviolet radiation from a broken high-intensity light bulb of the sort used in thousands of school gymnasiums, factories, big-box stores and other large spaces all across the country.The bulbs became available in the 1960s, and millions are in use across the country.
An outer glass envelope normally prevents the release of UV rays. But metal halide bulbs differ from ordinary household bulbs in that when the glass gets broken — say, by a basketball or a volleyball — the inner quartz tube keeps on burning.
Federal regulators have acknowledged the dangers but declined to regulate the product, suggesting instead that the bulbs be fitted with durable coverings that offer better protection than the wire cages sometimes used in gyms. [AP]