Use of research information as a determinant of need for protection of the public from light radiation

Knowledge of both acute and chronic biological effects is currently used to evaluate light safety. In some cases, a quantitative basis for avoiding exposures greater than a certain value can be stated. In other cases, however, only a qualitative estimate of the hazard is available. In a discussion that uses mercury vapor lamps as an example, the interplay between the two types of data leading to action is described