Do your children have toys that include a laser? If so, then you might make yourself aware of a new consumer alert from the Food and Drug Administration focused on the danger that lasers can pose when not used in the right way.
Many don’t think of lasers as being a type of radiation, but that’s exactly what they are, which brings them into the purview of the FDA. Although the small electromagnetic beam is used in various medical and industrial applications, it’s lasers’ usage in toys that has the FDA particularly concerned. They note that the power of lasers has increased over the past decade but that such power is simply unnecessary in toys.
They are proposing that a cap be set on lasers that hope to be deemed a “minimal risk” object by the FDA. The FDA notes that things like toy guns and other objects that project a laser can be made safer by reducing the intensity.
When a person’s eyes are exposed to a laser, they could see their vision deteriorate slowly after the initial flash. And one area where lasers pose an increased danger is when they’re pointed at persons at the wheel of a motor vehicle. Such usage with a laser pointer should never take place, as it can lead to a dangerous crash.