INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION ON NON‐IONIZING RADIATION PROTECTION ICNIRP GUIDELINES ON LIMITS OF EXPOSURE TO INCOHERENT VISIBLE AND INFRARED RADIATION PUBLISHED IN: HEALTH PHYSICS 105(1):74‐96; 2013 ICNIRP PUBLICATION – 2013 Errata Please note the following corrections: EL 1 -2 -1 Eq. 9 LWVS 6300 Wm sr (for t ≥ 100 s) 700 Eq. 10 LLBB λ () λ 300 Page 87 “For non‐constant radiance values, intermittent or pulsed exposure, the effective blue light ‐2 ‐1 radiance dose DB in J m sr e is obtained by integration of LB over the exposure duration, t.“ 700 Eq. 11 DBB L t L t B() 300 EL EL Eq. 12 LLBB or DDBB Page 87 EL “For t > 10,000 s, the radiance limit, LB , that limits the blue light weighted effective EL radiance LB (i.e. LLBB to avoid adverse effects) is given in Eq. 14.” 700 2 1 Eq. 18 DAphakic L A() t 1.0 MJ m sr 300 The reference “Marshall J. Radiation and the ageing eye. Barker Medley lecture. 1983.” should be replaced with “Marshall J. Radiation and the ageing eye. Ophthalmol Physiol Opt; 1984.“ Exposure Limit (EL) Radiance Radiance Dose Exposure Duration Source size Reference t α Note seconds radians (t in s and alpha in rad) (t in s and alpha in rad) Basic ! "#$ ! "%$ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Exposure ! Limit - &' 1, 2, 3 ! ( ) 1, 2, 4 Small - * 2,3 Sources % "#$ % "%$ ' ' 1, 2,3 % ( + - 2,4 Large ( - 130 3, 5 Sources "%$ & ( - * 1, 5, 6 "#$ & ( - 1, 5, 6 ( ( ) - 4, 5 " '( )* + )' α,! . -# % . )/0 ! w % "1 2 " ' EL EL -# % LR DR ( % " α % " 6. 3 α 4 α%-, α 5 α%- -# % ICNIRP Guidelines ICNIRP GUIDELINES ON LIMITS OF EXPOSURE TO INCOHERENT VISIBLE AND INFRARED RADIATION International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection* The guidelines assist the development of principles AbstractVGuidelines for exposure to visible and infrared radi- ation were first proposed by ICNIRP in 1997. Related guidelines of protection to the eyes and the skin against optical ra- on limits of exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and laser diation hazards. Separate guidelines are defined for ex- radiation have been published. This document presents a revi- posure to laser radiation (ICNIRP 1996; ICNIRP 2000). sion of the guidelines for broadband incoherent radiation. The guidelines are intended for use by the various experts Y Health Phys. 105(1):74 96; 2013 and national and international bodies who are responsible for developing regulations, recommendations, or codes of INTRODUCTION practice to protect workers and the general public from the SINCE IT is necessary to consider contributions of UVR potentially adverse effects of optical radiation. to retinal hazard assessment for incoherent broadband ra- The exposure limits given are for wavelengths from diation, the action spectra recommended in these guidelines 380 nm to 1 mm. However, the action spectrum for pho- for the retina extend to 300 nm. Thus, there is an overlap in tochemically induced photoretinopathy extends to 300 nm terms of wavelength range of these guidelines with the in the ultraviolet radiation (UVR) wavelength range and guidelines for ultraviolet radiation that only consider skin, should be applied for the evaluation of broad-band sources cornea and lens (ICNIRP 2004). which may also emit UVR. Separate guidelines apply for Since the publication of the ICNIRP Guidelines on the exposure of the skin and the anterior parts of the eye to Limits of Exposure to Broad-Band Incoherent Optical UVR (ICNIRP 2004). Radiation (0.38 to 3 mm) in 1997 (ICNIRP 1997), further Injury thresholds are well defined for the effects that research on thermally induced injury of the retina has led are in the scope of these guidelines. Therefore, the guide- to the need to revise the guidance given so far. In particu- lines for optical radiation in general do not differentiate lar, the exposure limit dependence upon source size is now between exposure to professionals and exposure to the a function of the exposure duration. Further, the retinal general public. The only exception concerns the action thermal hazard function has been revised. The specific ra- spectrum for photochemically induced photoretinopathy, tionale for these changes is provided in Appendix A. where for children below 2 years of age the aphakic haz- ard function should be applied. PURPOSE AND SCOPE The exposure limits apply to the full wavelength range of up to 1 mm even though the determination of the The purpose of these guidelines is to establish the exposure level can be limited to the wavelength range maximum levels of exposure to incoherent optical radia- below 3,000 nm. Non-laser sources do not emit enough tion from artificial and natural sources with the exception power in the wavelength region above 3,000 nm to cause a of lasers. Exposure below these maximum levels is not health hazard other than the possibility of heat stress expected to cause adverse effects. (ICNIRP 2006). There is paucity of threshold data for long term *ICNIRP c/o BfSVG. Ziegelberger, Ingolsta¨dter Landstr. 1, 85764 chronic exposure. Therefore, the guidelines are based on Oberschleissheim, Germany. The author declares no conflicts of interest. the dataset of threshold data for short delay (up to 48 h) For correspondence contact: G. Ziegelberger at the above address or onset of damage. However, current knowledge suggests email at [email protected]. that there are no effects of chronic exposure to infrared (Manuscript accepted 22 January 2013) 0017-9078/13/0 radiation (IRR) below the exposure limits provided. Copyright * 2013 Health Physics Society These guidelines do not apply to deliberate exposure DOI: 10.1097/HP.0b013e318289a611 for medical (diagnostic or treatment) purposes. 74 www.health-physics.com Copyright © 2013 Health Physics Society. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited. Limits of exposure to incoherent visible and infrared radiation c ICNIRP 75 Detailed measurement procedures and calculation Lighting Vocabulary (CIE 2011), the symbol for time in- methods are beyond the scope of this document and tegrated radiance is Lt and the symbol D is reserved for are provided elsewhere (Sliney and Wolbarsht 1980; the detectivity of a detector. Since the ICNIRP guide- UNEP et al. 1982; McCluney 1984; CIE and ICNIRP 1998; lines make use of additional subscripts, a dedicated single Schulmeister 2001; Henderson and Schulmeister 2004). letter symbol was deemed advantageous for the radiance dose, D. Depending on the type of interaction, the effectiveness QUANTITIES, SYMBOLS AND UNITS to produce an adverse effect can be strongly wavelength Electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range dependent. This wavelength dependence is accounted for between 100 nm and 1 mm is widely termed ‘‘optical ra- by an action spectrum that is used to spectrally weigh the diation.’’ A subdivision of this spectral band is defined by respective exposure quantities. These weighted exposure the International Commission on Illumination (CIE 2011) quantities are then referred to as ‘‘effective’’ quantities, for and can be useful in discussions of the photobiological instance, effective irradiance. effects of optical radiation, although the predominant ef- fects have less sharply defined spectral limits. The optical SOURCES AND EXPOSURE CONDITIONS radiation waveband consists of ultraviolet, visible, and in- frared radiation. According to the CIE, ultraviolet radiation Optical radiation from artificial sources is used in a (UVR) ranges between 100Y400 nm (CIE 2011). A precise wide variety of industrial, consumer, scientific and medi- border between UVR and visible radiation cannot be de- cal applications, and in most cases the light and infra- fined because visual sensation at wavelengths shorter than red energy emitted is not hazardous to the general public. 400 nm is noted for very bright sources. Similarly, a pre- However, people with certain medical conditions may be cise border between visible and infrared radiation cannot at risk from exposures that are otherwise innocuous. In be defined because visual sensation at wavelengths greater certain unusual exposure conditions, potentially hazardous than 780 nm is noted for very bright sources. The infra- exposures are accessible. Examples include; arc welding, red region is often subdivided into IR-A (780Y1,400 nm), use of some arc lamps in research laboratories, very high IR-B (1,400Y3,000 nm), and IR-C (3,000 nmY1 mm). intensity flash lamps in photography, infrared lamps for Exposure limits for optical radiation are expressed in surveillance and heating, a number of medical diagnos- radiometric quantities, depending on the tissue and dam- tic applications, and even printing and photocopying. Ex- age mechanism (Table 1). A complete definition of sym- cessive light and IRR are typically filtered or baffled to bols used is found in Appendix B. reduce discomfort. Where sufficient visible light is pres- Exposure limits that relate to the skin, the anterior ent, the natural and active aversion response of the eye to part of the eye or to potential retinal photochemical injury bright light will substantially reduce potentially hazardous under the ‘‘small source’’ condition are expressed in the exposure. Moreover, if the total irradiance is sufficient, radiometric quantities of irradiance, E (W mj2) and ra- the thermal discomfort, sensed by the skin and cornea, diant exposure, H (J mj2). The quantity of radiant expo- usually triggers an aversion response and tends to limit sure is also sometimes referred to as dose, and irradiance exposure to a few seconds or less (ICNIRP 2006). can be understood as dose-rate. Radiance, L (W mj2 srj1), Many intense optical sources also produce signifi- and radiance dose D (J mj2 srj1) also referred to as time- cant amounts of UVR, which may be hazardous to the eye integrated radiance, are used for exposure limits that relate and skin. This hazard should be separately assessed, using to retinal injury from extended sources, i.e. sources that re- UVR guidelines (ICNIRP 2004).