Light sources are a crucial aspect of growing plants. It is even more critical when you are practicing indoor growing. As a grower, you know that LED light is a powerful force for achieving outstanding results in your indoor plants. While light is an essential component, it may expose you to some long-term risks when improperly used. In most cases, the concerns surround eye and skin safety and the materials used to manufacture LED grow lights.
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Potential Risks of LED Grow Lights to the Human Health
Visual Effects
LED grow lights are designed for indoors and horticultural growing. Unlike standard lighting, they speed up the growth and enhance the results. While they may appear strange, they do not damage eyesight if used correctly. These lights come in a wide array, whereby some could be blue, pink, or even white. With this light, you can easily identify the plants beneath without any trouble.
White LED grow lights barely affect the human eyes as they simulate the regular lighting you have at your house; it is not visible light to your eyes. However, the blue light and red light may produce piercing spectrums of light that are not friendly to the human eyes. They are not natural to the human eyes, which may affect the grower’s color perception when adjusting to natural daylight. If you stare at these lights for long, you risk your visual perception. To protect yourself from the LED effects, you should find glasses most suitable for LED lighting. They will filter out all the beams and protect your eyes.
Exposure to the Skin
Do you work for long hours in your indoor garden? LED grow lights may affect your skin as they emit some UV light. While they are minimal ultraviolet light beams, they can cause some discoloration when you are in the garden for a long time. Protect yourself from the beams by wearing the right clothes. You might want to read: Do LED Grow Lights Emit UV?
LED Components
Unlike other lighting fixtures, LED grow lights manufacturers are under strict obligation to create lighting systems without any mercury and lead. The lights are recyclable and friendly to the environment. Standardly, the LED grow lights are devoid of any harmful substances. For safety, countercheck the manufacturer’s note and know what you are purchasing.
Can Plant Grow Lights Cause Cancer?
We know that excessive exposure to UV light causes cancer. When you expose your skin for long to any light radiation, you risk contracting skin cancer(melanoma). As discussed above, grow lights are artificial lights that people use for their indoor gardens and plants. They come in different forms and have different wavelengths.
The effectiveness and the effects of the grow lights depends on their type and positioning. For example, if you are in the garden and under the lights for a long time, you risk discoloring your skin. This is because the lights emit different types of light, such as UV, IR, and visible radiation. While it may be mild, overexposure may affect your skin, but not cancer, as the UV light beam is not that strong.
While this is the case, you need to know that people have different skins whereby some are more sensitive than others. To be on the safe side, you need to wear the right clothes as you head into your indoor garden. Get it right the first time and avoid cancer risks.
Can You Get a Sunburn from a Grow Light?
The safety of your grow lights depends on several factors such as the light intensity, wavelengths, duration of operation, and positioning. Like intense sunshine causes sunburns, you may also suffer from light burns when you stay under the grow lights for long. Additionally, if you stare for so long into the sunlight, your retinas may get a ‘sunburn’, and this alters your visual system.
Besides the extended exposure to the lights, you may also suffer grow light sunburns when you have the bright lights on for so long. You and your plants will sustain light burns. To protect you from grow light burns, you need to have the lights at a proper distance. Apart from the correct clothing, it should also minimize the time spent under the grow lights. Your eyes need protective gear to protect you from ultraviolet light and burns in the retina.
If you notice skin redness or a skin tan, you need to reduce the grow light’s intensity as the UV output is out of the normal range.
Can LED Grow Lights Affect Your Overall Health?
Generally, LED grow lights have no adverse effects on your health. However, if you misuse them, install them wrongly, or stay under them for long, you risk light and heat-related effects. TO protect yourself, you should minimize your time in the indoor garden, have the lighting installation and repairs done by professionals, and use the correct grow lights for your garden.
Tips for Using LED Grow Lights Safely
Always Think of Safety
LED grow lights’ safety is more than protecting your eyes and skin. It starts by purchasing the right lights and having the correct installation performed. If you have pets and children that may get into the garden, you should position them well to avoid accidents. While LED grow lights are less likely to break if knocked down, you should protect your children. Even you could accidentally knock them over as you tend to your plants.
Get the Distance Correct
How far should your plants be from your LED lights? Many factors affect the lighting distance, such as the available space and the lighting fixtures you choose. LED lights often have a lower heat signature and can be placed at 6 inches over the plants. The spacing from one LED grow light to another depends on the strength of the light. If it is stronger, you will need more space. Contrary, shorter wavelengths hit harder on the plants.
Know all the Key LED Grow Light Specs
As a grower, you should understand what your target grow intensity of light, color, and day-lengths are. All grow lights have a color, lumens, and day-length. Understand the specs and know whether they are customizable. LED grow lights allow you to personalize and change the wavelengths of light without adjusting the fixtures. Understanding the specs enables you to set the LED light bulbs safely.
Consider the Vendor Quality
Have you tried searching for modern grow light vendors online? Well, there are thousands of vendors that you can purchase these products. While it is good to have many vendors, you should be careful in the purchase so that you only purchase from trusted brands. They may be a little expensive but worthwhile and safer later.
Acquire the Common LED Grow Light Accessories
Some packages come with their light accessories, while others require that you purchase the accessories separately. Depending on the size of your indoor farm, you may require some LED grow light accessories such as suspension cables, power strips, ducting, clamps, LED plant lights, fans, filters, extension cords, and eye-wear for grow lights. For safety, you should acquire all these accessories and have them installed by professionals.
Think of Scalability
What happens when you want to upgrade your indoor garden size? If you want to increase your garden size, you will need more lighting shelves. LED technology has gained the most ground in the past decades due to its efficiency. Besides its long lifetime, the lights are also more scalable than the HID and CFL light bulbs.
Protect Your Eyes and Skin
LED grow lights are not natural light. As such, you need to protect your eyes as you go into your indoor garden. This is more necessary when you intend to work in the garden for long hours as it minimizes exposure to UV light. You can have a pair of regular sunglasses Additionally, put on protective clothing to keep away the UV light from your skin.
Conclusion
LED grow lights are among the best inventions ever made for indoor gardens. Besides illuminating the garden, you also boost the productivity of your plants in the garden. While they are effective and profitable, you need to ensure that you are safe as you work. Remember that your safety may be compromised if you wrongly use or install them. To minimize the risks, always read the safety instructions during the installation and the use. Prioritize safety.