# A question regarding safety about UVB lamp!



## HSTUDIO (Jul 28, 2013)

Hi everyone! I just heard of some technical saying about safety regarding Reptile using UVB lamps and Mercury Lamps that Iâ€™ve never heard about. So I do want to know it better and the origins, if itâ€™s true and authoritative. If there is anyone who knows them well, please explain me some more. If you never heard of it, please let me know, so to know Iâ€™m not an criticized â€œout-of-dateâ€. Appreciate very much!

*UVI, Solarmeter 6.2, Solarmeter 6.5*
The criterion of damage rate from UV rays to reptiles should be taken by a formula which is â€œ reading of 6.2 divided by readings of 6.5â€, and the results have a specific rate : 
1-13: Very harmful enough to cause reptiles injury or death.
14-20: Dangerous. lamp contains heavy short-waveband UVB. 
21-50: Moderate.
51-60: Very good lamp.
Above 61: Perfect.

I was told that this formula originates from Solarmeter-Quotient, and itâ€™s widely used by â€œall western Europe vets, reptile research, reptile hobbyists and breeders, UV Guide, Germany reptile medicine text books..â€ I donâ€™t know itâ€™s true or not. But based on my own knowledge and experiences, I found this saying does not hold water. 

1.	According to Solarmeter 6.5, the UVI damage rate is:
1-2: Min
3-4: Low
5-6: Moderate
7-9: High
10-15: Very high
This rate can well explain different UV rays damages to people. I think, Solarmeter 6.5 can also show UVI damage to reptiles, but the RATE should be very different to that used for people. Maybe we should set some different rate to different reptiles, according to their specific skins, shells, etc. My breeding and testing experience is that, a lot tortoises can well take UV rays when UVB is not more than 250 uw/cm2, and UVI is not more than 12. But panther chameleons can not take too much time under a lamp when UVB is more not more than 80 uw/cm2, and UVI goes more than 6. (Tests were taken with a moderate temperature. ) If readings of Solarmeter 6.5 can show the damage rate and be taken as references, why need 6.2/6.5?

2.	





The picture above was taken at around noon time when I was at Isalo in Madagascar in Apr. 2011.( about 200km away from Radiated tortoise original natural habitat. )
The UVB was up to 425 uw/cm2, UVI should be way above 10. ( assume the UVI was 10)
According to that formula: UVB/UVI = 425/10 =42.5 ( Moderate ) 

My mercury vapor lamp 100W tested without deep dome fixture
at 30cm: UVB152 UVI 9, UVB/UVI = 152/9 = 16.89 (Very dangerous) 
at 40cm: UVB 94 UVI 4.9, UVB/UVI = 94/4.9 = 19.18 ( Dangerous)
at 50cm: UVB 60 UVI 2.7, UVB/UVI = 60/2.7 = 22.22 (Just ok)

UVI=10 can be taken as moderate, while UVI=4.9 is Dangerous? I really canâ€™t understand the result calculated by that formula.


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## Jacqui (Jul 29, 2013)

As to your question asked in another thread, this thread did not show up because you were still under the five post rule. The first five posts a member makes are not public, until a Moderator approves them. This cuts down on the spam in the forum.


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## HSTUDIO (Jul 29, 2013)

Jacqui said:


> As to your question asked in another thread, this thread did not show up because you were still under the five post rule. The first five posts a member makes are not public, until a Moderator approves them. This cuts down on the spam in the forum.



ok, I got it. Thanks a lot!


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