Hi
We have recently purchased the garden 3 and the whole family (including our 13 months old boy) are excited over the new toy. However, our relatives have just shared that LED light will emit UV Rays and is harmful especially toward young kids. Just wondering if there is a need for us to move the garden 3 to elsewhere where our infant has no contact to. Thanks!
Hi! You and Your family are perdectly safe.
I pulled out my trusty handheld spectrometer and checked all the different products, none of them emitted any light that was bluer than 390 nanometers and according to most sources UV starts from 380 nm (wikipedia states it to be 400), either ways even at 400 nm the radiation is almost at noise level so there nothing to be declared as ultra violet light.
There was considerable amount of UV light coming from my fluorescent light fixtures though, not too much to be worried about, but a lot comparing to the Click & Grows lights which had none.
There are many LEDs on the market which have a strong peaks situated at 365, 385, 395 or 405 nanometers, but it seems that Click&Grow hasn’t opted for any of those.
@Laast do plant growing lamps usually emit UV light that can be harmful…? Good for plant growth, but harmful for the human?
Can’t say that UV is usual in grow lamps, I personally haven’t seen many of them with UV, at least as far as home products go, just a few. I have heard that at industrial level they tend to use it more.
I guess the “good for plant growth” could be debatable, as UV is a natural part of sunlight it is good, but as far as I know it is rather dependant on the specific plant, because plants get different portions of radiation around the world, so some species really like it, but in other species UV causes them to start different defensive countermeasures. It can result in thicker leaves or excess resin on them etc. which for some cases could be a desired outcome, but for some not so much.
Don’t know if am I just in a debatable mood, but I would debate on the matter that UV is harmful to humans. It triggers vitamin D synthesis, which is rather important to us, but as it is with everything too much of everything is bad as it can damage and age our skin and eyes.
Since C&G LEDs are really bright, we should avoid staring at them directly. That is true to any bright light. Here are some myths about horticultural LEDs:
LED lights are only harmful to the eyes if you work in them long periods of time. There are glasses you can buy to protect the eyes. But that is if your running a grow room where your garden is like half a trailer bedroom and the wattage is up in the high range. I run about 1300 watts of LED and I notice it in my eyes after about half an hour.
Is Click & Grow LED lamp safe for eyes?
It is as safe as other light sources but it’s not recommended to look (for a long time) directly at any light source.