blue laser

what are the dangers of ~1W blue lasers? (405-473nm)

is it true that can cause cancer?

Not at the wavelengths that we deal with here. No visible light is carcinogenic. Once you get down below 350nm you begin to have carcinogenic effects..

Direct or indirect skin exposure to blue laser light is also harmful. The MPE (Maximum Permissible Exposure) for skin for a 3mm beam of this wavelength is approximately 200mW/CM^2. This is laser can easily generate a power density (irradiance) of about 15 Watts/CM^2. Therefore, this laser's beam exceeds the skin exposure MPE by ( 15 / 0.2 ) = 75 times. At this level of irradiance, skin exposure to the intense blue laser light can possibly cause cancer. Do not allow bare skin to be exposed, including your face when wearing safety goggles, to light diffusely reflected from any surface closer than several inches. This laser is a thousand times stronger than sunlight on skin and any type of exposure should be avoided whether it be from the collimated beam or close exposure to its bright diffused reflections. (source- Portable Blue Laser from Wicked Lasers - Spyder III Pro Arctic Series)

So you view Wicked Lasers as a reliable source of information? LOL not quite..

Please notice that they say "may" cause cancer. For them this is a liability issue rather than a real-world information issue. The fact of the matter is that conclusive research is still taking place to determine exactly at what wavelength light can become carcinogenic. The issue with determining things like that has to do with the fact that not all people are sensitive to carcinogens, therefore getting a 100% firm answer will be unlikely to happen.

The general consensus is that UVB wavelengths and shorter are most likely to POSSIBLY be carcinogenic. Give this a good read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultraviolet_radiation

In the future you should be sure that your sources are reliable. Wicked Lasers is a joke in every possible way, from the way they do business to their products themselves, and apparently even the information they post as facts on their site. Based on all of the actual scientific research I've read about over the last few years you'd be FAR more likely to give yourself a 3rd-degree burn by holding your skin in a 1W 445nm beam than you would be to end up with cancer. JUST TO CLARIFY I'm not saying this to be rude or condescending, only to warn you. Don't trust what you read on WL as being fact because it's not always so.

@elektrofreak You just sited Wikipedia as a source while going on talking about how other sources were inaccurate. Wicked probably isn't the best source but now you look like an idiot.

Beats the hell out of Wicked Lasers.. as for the idiot part, I think my rep here speaks for itself. Here's what I've got to say to watchmeplay here and all you other n00bs out there that are too lazy to even google a fucking keyword: Lasers probably aren't for you. It requires just the tiniest amount of intelligence and a desire to accomplish something. In other words: If you want a scientific explanation from whatever you consider to be "reliable" sources GET THAT SH*T YOURSELVES... lazy b*tches. You've got arms and hands (probably) so nothing's stopping you. The OPs question's been answered since post #2.. all he had to do was read and follow a few links.. everything else is just someone wanting to be spoon fed. As for you watchmeplay.. if all you care to do is post for the sole purpose of calling someone names, we have no need for you here.

While I stand behind my statement to lazy n00bs, because safety is such an important topic I spent a little time looking over some of the latest research (hopefully these sources are reliable enough for everyone's liking) and as of July of this year a new study was released that came to the conclusion that UVA can accelerate the development of certain types of melanomas and is possibly a cause. Fortunately 405nm light is actually just outside UV, it's actually part of the visible spectrum, and it's unknown if the levels we deal with (not taking into account direct skin exposure to 405nm laser beams) through diffuse reflected light are problematic. If I had to hazard a guess I'd say that the closer the light is to the visible spectrum the less likely it is to be carcinogenic. If one were to want to minimize any possible risk, avoiding direct skin contact with 405nm laser beams would no doubt help greatly.

Cancer is a funny thing. Some people get cancer, others don't even when they both are exposed to the same risks. I don't necessarily see this new research as cause for great alarm since it's all very new. Hopefully there will be more data presented in the future that will supplement this research and help define a clear boundary. This is all still in it's infancy and I think it would be unwise to take this new research as the gospel.

UVA radiation damages DNA in human melanocyte skin cells and can lead to melanoma

The Skin Cancer Foundation - Understanding UVA and UVB | UV Information

Burns can also be another factor contributing to cancer. Burns never cause cancer, but do increase the risk developing it.

Burns