Are those HPS lights radioactive?

I was wondering that are those High Pressure Sodium lights radioactive... becos sometime when i spend few hours in my indoor garden with 400w and 600w lights above me when i work with the plants, i feel kinda sick after i come out...?! Or am i just paranoid about this?

Charlie Green said:

I was wondering that are those High Pressure Sodium lights radioactive... becos sometime when i spend few hours in my indoor garden with 400w and 600w lights above me when i work with the plants, i feel kinda sick after i come out...?! Or am i just paranoid about this?

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i feel the same way im intrested to no to

They do have radio active material in them yes

More then likely its radium-226 but there could be some other kinds in the light too


As a radioactive substance 26, It is prefered that the half-life thereof is from 0.5 year to 1×10 4 years. For example, carbon ( 14 C), sodium ( 22 Na), calcium ( 45 Ca), manganese ( 54 Mn), iron ( 55 Fe), cobalt ( 60 Co), nickel ( 63 Ni), zinc ( 65 Zn), strontium ( 90 Sr), lutetium ( 106 Lu), silver ( 110 Ag), antimony ( 125 Sb), barium ( 133 Ba), cesium ( 134 Cs, 137 Cs), cerium ( 144 Ce), prometium ( 147 Pm), europium ( 154 Eu 155 Eu), gold ( 195 Au), thallium ( 204 Tl), lead ( 210 Pb), radium ( 226 Ra, 228 Ra), actinium ( 227 Ac), thorium ( 228 Th), americium ( 241 Am), and curium ( 242 Cm, 244 Cm) are possible candidates.


Further, a radioactive source material 24 is sealed in the arc tube 3. The radioactive source material 24 consists of a ceramic material, i.e. aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3 ) and silicon oxide (SiO 2 ), impregnated with promethium ( 147 Pm) about 0.1 micro curie (0.1 μCi). The half-life of 147 Pm is 2.5 years and less than 1×10 4 years. The following is one possible way of making such a radioactive source material. Namely, first aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3 ), silicon oxide (SiO 2 ) and sodium oxide (Na 2 O 3 ) are mixed at a predetermined ratio and burned at about 2000° C. So the ceramic body is formed consisting of xAl 2 O 3 .ySiO 2 zNA 2 O 3 . Where x, y, z refer respectively to the molar ratio. Sodium (Na) atoms of the above ceramic body are replaced with promethium ( 147 Pm) atoms by a well known method, i.e. an ion exchange method. Namely, the above ceramic body xAL 2 O 3 .ySiO 2 .zNa 2 O 3 is to be changed to xAL 2 O 3 .ySiO 2 .z(NH 4 ) 2 O by steeping in a liquid of ammonium chloride (NH 4 CL). Next by a treatment of taking off ammonium (NH 3 ) of xAl 2 O 3 .ySiO 2 .z(NH 4 ) 2 O it is rendered to be xAl 2 O 3 .ySiO 2 .z.H 2 O. Next, xAl 2 O 3 .ySiO 2 .zH 2 O is reduced to xAl 2 O 3 .ySiO 2 .zHPmO by replacing hydrogen (H) of xAl 2 O 3 .ySiO 2 .zH 2 O with promethium ( 147 Pm). Finally, by sintering at about 1200° C., a desired radioactive source material 24 can be had.

No fucking way?! WTF....

The chances of them having enough radio active material to harm you are not is low.

sorry double post

In the long term?

all light has uv and radioactive properties, such small amounts cannot harm you, even if u lived under it youd be fine dont worry about it ur hps wont give u cancer...or cure it for that matter, we are constantly being rained on with radioactive debris, uv-a uv-b and uv-c rays, contstantly changing our dna, why do you think we all look different, radiation causes mutations, mutations are evolution, its a good think go soak yourself under 10 1000watters (kidding)

aknight3 said:

all light has uv and radioactive properties, such small amounts cannot harm you, even if u lived under it youd be fine dont worry about it ur hps wont give u cancer...or cure it for that matter, we are constantly being rained on with radioactive debris, uv-a uv-b and uv-c rays, contstantly changing our dna, why do you think we all look different, radiation causes mutations, mutations are evolution, its a good think go soak yourself under 10 1000watters (kidding)

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hehe... ok

Now I know why I've been glowing lately.

It explains a lot

actually i heard there was hardly any uv rays comming out of the lights since the glass of the bulb is specifically designed to block it


this is why some people purchase UV lights to put over thier plants aswell to increase the resin production


cuz the UV rays comming out of the HPS lights in miniscule compared to the sun

and they found out that in hi UV regions like Afghanistan marijuana was much more resiny, they think its due to the fact that the plant will produce more resin to protect itself from the UV Rays


Im pretty sure the most important thing to worry about is looking at the lights without ptotection cuz if u are always around them and dont wear sunglass it will fuck up your eyes as you get older.

Big P said:

actually i heard there was hardly any uv rays comming out of the lights since the glass of the bulb is specifically designed to block it


this is why some people purchase UV lights to put over thier plants aswell to increase the resin production


cuz the UV rays comming out of the HPS lights in miniscule compared to the sun

and they found out that in hi UV regions like Afghanistan marijuana was much more resiny, they think its due to the fact that the plant will produce more resin to protect itself from the UV Rays


Im pretty sure the most important thing to worry about is looking at the lights without ptotection cuz if u are always around them and dont wear sunglass it will fuck up your eyes as you get older.

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Ok thanks, good point!

i agree with big p, the eyes are the thing u need to watch for, a 100 watter will seriously make you go blind

I actually find the MH light unbearable
I turn it off when working in the veg area

it helps my eyes and I can cool the room and the ballast for a good 30 min

I always wear sunglasses now

but when I first started growing I had to sleep in my grow room and learned pretty quick that those bulbs are too bright for the naked eye

smokinmayne said:

I actually find the MH light unbearable
I turn it off when working in the veg area

it helps my eyes and I can cool the room and the ballast for a good 30 min

I always wear sunglasses now

but when I first started growing I had to sleep in my grow room and learned pretty quick that those bulbs are too bright for the naked eye

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lol hell ya that would suck to sleep in there


i need to get some sunglasses, i used to have transitions lenses you know the kind that turn into sunglasses as soon as you ar in the sun. well anyway they wont shade up infront of my HPS light.

PowerZZ said:

The chances of them having enough radio active material to harm you are not is low.

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Yeah what he said. Your cell phone is most likely more radioactive than any HID light.

Ronjohn7779 said:

Yeah what he said. Your cell phone is most likely more radioactive than any HID light.

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Actually i found this post confusing:

Originally Posted by PowerZZ
The chances of them having enough radio active material to harm you are not is low.






.

I make sure I wear sunglasses when I'm going to be around the light for any prolonged time. My eyes thank me for it