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.	HPS and CRCPD Proclaim 8-14 November 2009 as National Radiation Protection Professionals Week
.	November Newsletter
.	NRC Academic Program Nuclear Education Grants, FY2010, Now Accepting Applications
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.	November Journal
.	EPA's STAR Graduate and GRO Undergraduate Fellowship Funding Now Accepting Applications

Upcoming Events
.	2010 HPS Midyear Topical Meeting Radiation Risk Communication to the Public 24-27 January 2010 Albuquerque, NM
.	2010 HPS Professional Development School Radiation Risk Communication: Issues and Solutions 27-29 January 2010 Albuquerque, NM

07 November 2009

Answer to Question #1833 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

Category: Suntanning

The following question was answered by an expert in the appropriate field:

What are "IR Lamps" and how are they used in physiotherapy and do they use nuclear reactions? And, if possible, how do they work?

The IR device to which you refer may be an infrared heat lamp. These lamps are consumer products that are used for superficial heating of everything from french fries to people's bodies. IR radiation is also used for imaging, motion detectors, remote control channel changers, lasers, optical fiber communications, and a host of other commercial applications. Note that IR radiation is also part of the electromagnetic spectrum of radiation from the sun that heats our planet.

As far as safety precautions, it is necessary to keep in mind that IR radiation causes superficial heating. (IR radiation cannot cause ionization or nuclear reactions.) Skin burns or corneal burns would be the main effects of concern. For any particular device it would be important to read and follow the manufacturer's safety instructions. Safe exposure guidelines for IR radiation have been published by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH). The ACGIH threshold limit values (TLVs) for IR are generally applied by industry in the United States as standards for protection of workers exposed to infrared radiation. If the source of IR is a laser then the laser safety standard of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI Z136.1 Safe Use of Lasers) would apply.

Gary Zeman, ScD, CHP
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

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