[Callers] another occupational hazard for callers

Anne Lutun anne.c.lutun at gmail.com
Mon Mar 5 13:15:31 PST 2018


When was the last time you got a tan at an *indoor* contradance?

No, this is not a joke. I got sunburned while calling this past Saturday
(March 3rd, in Pennsylvania).

How is this possible? Probably a damaged metal halide bulb in the community
center gym where the dance was held. Apparently this is a problem that
occurs sporadically in gyms all over the country, as I found out after a
google search:

https://news.vanderbilt.edu/2004/05/19/damaged-metal-halide-
lamps-can-cause-indoor-sunburns-56964/

https://www.fda.gov/Radiation-EmittingProducts/RadiationSafe
ty/AlertsandNotices/ucm116540.htm

I'm very fair-skinned and burn easily, but I'm not the only one who was
affected — the musicians got sunburns as well, and two of them have (mild)
eye irritation symptoms. It's only when we compared notes yesterday that we
realized what had happened.

We will all be ok, and thankfully there haven't been any reports of dancers
being affected — it was a large and lively crowd, and we kept them moving!
Other than the burns, it was an absolutely wonderful dance.

The problem had not occurred before at this monthly event because the bank
of lights that we now think the culprit bulb is a part of is not usually
on. It was needed that night because some of the other lights had burned
out.

I would like to commend the dance organizers who, once informed, took the
problem very seriously and immediately contacted the community center
management, who in turn promised to address the issue right away.

I don't mean to alarm anyone, but next time you call in a gym, you may want
to wear sunscreen!

Anne Lutun
Philadelphia, PA
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