Photobiological Safety

IEC / EN 62471 for photobiological safety of lamps and lamp systems is an international standard for evaluation and control of photobiological hazards from lighting equipment.

The new standard IEC / EN 62471 for photobiological safety of lamps and lamp systems provides guidelines for the evaluation and control of photobiological hazards from lamps and lighting equipment, including LED.

Incandescent light bulbs have been phased out. They have been replaced by LED technology, which has led to the creation of several new regulations. Specifically, the IEC / EN 62471 is essential for LED technology lighting equipment.

Ensuring safety of LED technology

The white light in LED (light emitting diodes) normally consists of a mix of different colours, with a dominant peak in the blue wavelengths (450 – 480nm). Blue light poses a higher risk for the human eye. If the energy in this area is high enough, there is a risk for physically injury to the eye. This risk will depend on distance to the light source and the exposure time.

To ensure the safety of LEDs in all kinds of LED applications, testing for photobiological safety was introduced with the standard IEC/EN 62471. This standard is a horizontal standard, and is general for all kinds of LED applications in all kinds of equipment.

The photobiological safety test measures the energy in different wavelengths based on the defined use of the light source and determines which risk group the application will fall under. The different product standards will then indicate what kind of measure the different risk groups will require. Normally warning labels are used on lighting products.

Our expertise in photobiological testing

Nemko labs in Europe, Asia and North America acquired instruments and expertise for testing according to the IEC/EN 62471 standard. With long experience we are set up with expertise and equipment for measurement of photobiological safety for your LED application.

The scope for testing is in the range of wavelengths from 200 nm to 3000 nm.

IEC / EN 62471 specifies:

Technical reference measurement (radiance and irradiance),taking into accountthe various fields of wavelengths
Exposure limits
Classification of radiation in “risk groups” according to the degreeof danger of radiation

The luminaires are classified according to four “risk groups”