Proving the dangers?

[lamborgini8]

How can I prove to people exactly how dangerous lasers are? I had a few people around yesterday and naturally the music went up along with the sub woofer, the smoke machine came out and the lasers and lighting followed.

I don't have anything over around 150mW but after giving about 5 warnings about the dangers I let them have a play about with the pointers and lighting matches. I only have safety goggles for one which was mentioned before I got out the lasers, plus lets face it when you have red, green and blue ray all at the same time you can't really keep switching goggles.

Well after a few mins it started to get a little out of control with lasers being pointed at each other and one of them actually put a match into the aperture trying to light it at that point I actually took all the lasers off of them and practically banned them from even getting near enough to touch them.

Obviously my warnings about the high powers causing permanent sight problems did not work. How else can I show how dangerous it can actually be? Or would I be better off totally stopping them from using them again?

What really annoyed me is the fact they not only have a total disregard for their own sight, but they totally ignored the price tag on this kind of stuff. I dread to think of what would happen if that match was inside the aperture any longer.

 

[rog8811]

Show them this, it shows a hemorrhage of the retina caused by a laser strike.

Regards rog8811

 

[AusLasersSuck]

That would freak them out so bad ;D!

 

[Benm]

Well, not to state the obvious, but i guess its a bad idea to let drunk partypeople play with anything that is expensive, dangerous or both.

Picture..

That would freak them out so bad

You think? Some countries put similarly gruesome images on cigarette packages.. i've never seen those deter anyone from smoking, people know that the scenario pictured doenst actually happen when you smoke one. Two packs a day over a decade is a different story, but with lasers i guess the first one can be fatal

 

[Linkreincarnate]

Well, not to state the obvious, but i guess its a bad idea to let drunk partypeople play with anything that is expensive, dangerous or both.

Picture..

That would freak them out so bad

You think? Some countries put similarly gruesome images on cigarette packages.. i've never seen those deter anyone from smoking, people know that the scenario pictured doenst actually happen when you smoke one. Two packs a day over a decade is a different story, but with lasers i guess the first one can be fatal

But lasers aren't addicti....... nevermind...

 

[Switch]

Well, not to state the obvious, but i guess its a bad idea to let drunk partypeople play with anything that is expensive, dangerous or both.

Picture..

That would freak them out so bad  

You think? Some countries put similarly gruesome images on cigarette packages.. i've never seen those deter anyone from smoking, people know that the scenario pictured doenst actually happen when you smoke one. Two packs a day over a decade is a different story, but with lasers i guess the first one can be fatal

Some of those aren't even related directly to cigarettes.And it looks like they aren't really cutting down because of the disgusting images.Though , when the images were first introduced here people were like "can I please have another pack, this one is disgusting?" , and the guy was like "I'm selling cigarettes not images here, take it or leave it".
I don't know why people are so stupid when it comes to lasers.When I first saw the kipkay video I though "holy s*(# even a reflection from that thing messes you up!".But I light a match right in front of some poeple saying "this is why it's a bad idea to point it at your eye" and still the first thing they do is point it at my face. The only reasonable course of action here is: 1)b!tchslap across the face; 2) never let them touch laser again. :

 

[mike666]

Loud music, drunk people and lasers DON'T mix.

My advice...don't do it again.

 

[lamborgini8]

They were not drunk either...

 

[rocketparrotlet]

Just don't. Wave the lasers in their faces and make it known that they have proven they are not responsible enough to use them.

I've had things like this done before with my laser all the time. I don't let anyone else handle it now. (Well, I'd give it to my family and close friends, but nobody else.)

-Mark

 

[Benm]

Loud music, drunk people and lasers DON'T mix.

They mix very well actually... as long as those are ceiling mounted laser shows configured so that they can't fry the audience no matter how drunk the operator is

The true reason for people acting so carelessly is that warning labels are applied to too many goods. For example, a bottle of cleaning vinegar (8% acetic acid or so) carries the same sort of warnings as a bottle of battery acid (near 100% sulfuric). What happens is that a consumer spills some vinegar on his hand, and dispite the warning, no harm comes to him. Can you blame that person for then expecting that the battery acid won't do any harm either?

Lasers suffer from a very similar warning label issue: On the 1 mW cat toy, it says it will likely blind you when you shine it in your eye. That does not happen if one tries or is accidentaly exposed. Next day someone picks up a DX200 with the same sort of warning, and there goes another eye...

Of course there is product liability and all, but perhaps it would be better to have different texts for things that are only dangerous in the worst case scenarions, and for things that are plain dangerous in normal use.

 

[mariner7]

Benm, you bring up a very good point.  So many products today have warning labels, that people have become desensitized to them, kind of like the boy who cried wolf.  And laser pointers are so ubiquitous these days and people think of them as cat toys, that they don't respect the laser, or realize the danger of them.

I've read quite a few posts here about members who let people handle their laser, and even after telling them the dangers, and not to shine it at people or at anyone's eyes, they do anyway.  I don't think I'll be letting anyone handle my laser anytime soon, unless I know them well and trust them a hundred percent.

 

[Benm]

I find that with friends, many do understand the dangers, but those usually include people with a university, and often scientific, background. Demonstrating how a laser lights a match or cuts a piece of tape is sufficient to make them realise the true danger there.

I'm affraid the general public just has no idea anymore what really is dangerous, and what is just labeled as such as a disclaimer. Perhaps wel should call one a 'legal caution' and the other 'grave danger' - just to make things clear for people that do care what is actually going on.

 

[Hemlock_Mike]

NEVER pass a laser to the unenlightened --- NEVER

Mike

 

[dvdg101]

I agree with most of you.
Lasers and drunk people mix ... only when the lasers are away from the drunk people, lol.
It seems like warnings come on everything b/c people (as a whole) are retarded and need them. However, the flip side is the desensitization.

All the sides being thrown out here, we all need to make sure we play correctly with our toys and we shouldn't burn or let anyone burn their/someone Else's eyes out no matter what the circumstances.

My two cents.

 

[iewed]

For those 100mW< lasers, you could always make them go through a "test". Make a black dot on their skin with a marker, hold the laser up to it a point blank, and shine it on their skin for 10 seconds. Then remind them what that could do to their eyes.

 

[rocketparrotlet]

For those 100mW< lasers, you could always make them go through a "test". Make a black dot on their skin with a marker, hold the laser up to it a point blank, and shine it on their skin for 10 seconds. Then remind them what that could do to their eyes.

Even better, fingernail!

-Mark