Court rules "laser pointers are safe"

17 Jun 2002

Bans on the sale of laser pointers in Europe could soon be lifted after a landmark court case in the UK that ruled that US class IIIA laser pointers are safe.
The case was an appeal against an earlier judgement that banned the sale of certain types of pointers. It focused on three devices labelled as US class IIIA (equivalent to a class 3B in Europe).The appeal took place in Manchester and centered around three pointers that had powers of between 1.8 and 3.4 mW. These pointers were imported by First UK and Academy International.Safety consultant Jim Webb, of GL Services in the UK, gave evidence that the likelihood of accidental retinal injury through the misuse of laser pointers was not possible and intentional damage was also very unlikely. He said: "With this precedent, there is now no problem in importing pointers of up to 5 mW."

Ajoy Kar of Heriot-Watt University, UK, also gave evidence that, apart from causing distraction, there was no risk of damage to the eye from the pointers. However, he said: "The court ruling has huge implications. I still believe that laser pointers of 2, 3 and 4 mW are potentially dangerous. More powerful laser pointers will now come onto the market and children can buy them because they are so cheap."

Much of the misunderstanding has been caused by the different classification systems that have been adopted by Europe and the US. Paul Tozer of the Alliance of Laser Safety Professionals says that the changes to safety classes will clear up some of the confusion in laser labelling.He thinks that the contentious class 3B lasers could now fit into the new 3R category. "Before, it was too technical. Now there is a clear distinction," he said.

The safety debate started two years ago when France and certain German states banned class 3B pointers. However, at the Laser 99 exhibition last year in Bavaria - a state which had banned the sale of such devices - Taiwanese manufacturers were openly selling cheap pointers on their stands.

Story courtesy of Opto & Laser Europe magazine.