Photobiological safety strategy “protects” the development of new lighting industry

The new type of light emitting diodes (LEDs) illuminating light sources are gradually replacing conventional lighting sources to become the development trend of mainstream lighting in the world due to their energy saving, environmental protection, and durability. With the expansion of the LED industry and the wide range of applications, the impact of LEDs on the human body has begun to receive attention. However, the global assessment of the photobiological safety of LED lighting has not yet been finalized. Only with the aim of energy conservation and environmental protection, vigorously promoting LED lighting may lay a hidden danger in the future development of the industry. For example, the risk of human bio-security in LED lighting will make the development of this emerging strategic industry a challenge and a major hit in the future. It is necessary to assemble the government, academia and business community to carry out research on LED Light bio-security strategies. Scientifically and rationally carrying out the spatial and temporal layout of industrial development and finding solutions to reduce LED biohazards from a technical perspective are not only related to the healthy and sustainable development of the LED lighting industry, but also can be achieved through the planning of national standards for LED lighting and the layout of related patents. The fight for the right to formulate the right to speak, for the entire new semiconductor lighting industry to break through patent barriers, nurturing independent intellectual property rights of a new generation of lighting core technologies are of crucial strategic significance.

LED (Light Emitting Diode) is a solid-state semiconductor device that can directly convert electrical energy into illumination light. LED is a kind of green light source: low working voltage, low power consumption, supply voltage between 6-24V, varies from product to product, consumes 80% less energy than incandescent lamps with same efficacy, stable performance and long life ( Generally 100,000 hours); shock resistance, strong vibration resistance. LED lighting products can improve the light efficiency of the lighting system, high color rendering and strong light direction; good dimming performance, no visual error when the color temperature changes; cold light source has low calorific value and can be touched safely; improve glare , reduce and eliminate light pollution. Although LED lighting technology has obvious advantages in terms of energy-saving and high-efficiency lighting, at the same time, the harm of LED light sources to the retina and the impact on the rhythm of daily life of biological life are also suggesting that we must clearly see the risks of LED lighting to human bio-safety.

In the optical radiation band, ultraviolet and blue light bands are particularly harmful to the human body. There are different proportions of the ultraviolet and blue spectral bands in the spectrum of the LED, wherein the blue portion of the visible light may cause damage to the pigment layer of the retina. Some of the major light radiation hazards that have been discovered so far include: photokeratitis and photoconjunctivitis, cataracts, retinal burns, retinal blue damage, skin tanning, UV erythema, skin aging, and skin cancer. With the development of multi-chip integration and secondary optical design technology, the power and external quantum efficiency of LED chips have been increasingly improved. Short-wavelength LED chips in the ultraviolet and blue light bands have been widely used. Both the technology and market share have made the harm of LEDs even more pronounced. Different from sunlight, LED uses natural light of a specific wavelength component to simulate natural light through a light distribution scheme. The light source spectrum has the characteristics of discontinuous, monochromatic light of a specific component and high brightness. In addition to the potential damage to the human eye, especially the retina, short-wavelength blue light has a more pronounced reduction in melatonin produced by the pineal gland than Other types of artificial light sources. It has been pointed out that the blue light component in the continuous output spectrum of the LED lighting source has a damaging effect on the normal rhesus monkey retina; excessively strong short-wave blue light can easily cause photochemical damage of photoreceptor cells on the retina and degradation of pigment epithelial function, and excessive radiation It also causes thermal damage to the retina.

With the rapid development of photobiological research, the light bio-safety of LED has increasingly attracted the attention of the international community in recent years. Since 2002, the development of basic research on the third non-visual light receiver (cell) of humans, the influence of light radiation on circadian rhythm and endocrine system, etc., has led to the discovery and study of potential hazards in the application of artificial light sources. Provides effective analysis tools and evidence. Melanopsin is a photoreceptor protein expressed by retinal ganglion cells. It is the third photoreceptor cell in mammals beyond the cone and rod. Its function is to participate in non-visual imaging systems and participate in the regulation of biological rhythms and pupil pairs. Light reflecting activity. Existing studies have shown that Melanopsin is sensitive to the illuminance of ambient light. This light sensitive protein is more sensitive to the 440-480 nm spectrum than the three photosensitizing pigments. This mechanism of light rhythm regulating the body's biological rhythm is very important. Non-mammalian vertebrates have a variety of tissues that can sense changes in photorhythm, such as the pineal gland and its surrounding tissues, and cutaneous melanocytes. Only melanopsin/pRGC systems in mammals can sense changes in photorhythm. Experimental results showed that melanopsin had a three-fold greater modulatory effect on pupil reflex than cone cells. The above research shows that the regulation of human biological rhythm may be greatly affected by LED light radiation. Irregular LED lighting may cause extensive insomnia, dizziness, headache, affective disorders and other extensive nervous system dysfunction in the crowd.

Most of the current market is high color temperature, high brightness LED products. With the increase of chip power, application of new technologies such as photonic crystals, the radiance of the light emitted by the chip is greatly increased. By increasing the drive current, multi-chip integration, the secondary optical design is increased, such as the use of lens convergence, etc. The light beam is getting narrower and the retina is getting more and more damaged. At the same time, ultraviolet and short-wave blue LEDs are widely used. The blue light with a wavelength of about 440 nm has a significant increase in photochemical damage to the retina of the human eye. Especially for infants and children, the ability of the eyes to filter short-wavelength light is inferior to that of adults. The significant increase in the incidence of myopia among adolescents in China in the past 50 years is also related to the unreasonable spectral combination and brightness configuration of light sources. Functional deterioration of the macular area of ​​the elderly is also directly related to the damage of blue radiation.

It is worth noting that the government has increased investment in LED lighting industry in recent years, and LED companies around the country are building a series of new lighting LED chip production lines. Behind the rapid development of the new lighting industry, the risk of bio-safety technologies implied by LED light sources is often overlooked. First of all, the characteristics of the LED light source itself make it too strong and can easily cause damage to the human eye. The LED lighting spectrum is narrow, so it has the advantages of low energy consumption and high brightness. However, relative to the full spectrum of natural light, it lacks the eye-protective properties brought by the full spectrum, and the excessively high brightness makes it lack the natural light softness and has great irritation to the eyes. Second, narrow-spectrum light is poor in color rendering and can easily cause color weakness. Narrow-spectrum light is poor in color rendering and cannot reproduce true colors. Although light does not change visual perception in a short period of time, it is in fact "deception" to human eyes. The spectrum of the LED is not continuous, the wavelength is single, and the spectral energy of the short wavelength is very high. Under long-term irradiation of strong light of a certain band, the resolution of other colors is bound to be reduced, and the possibility of color weakness is high. Finally, prolonged use can cause visual fatigue. The current various lamps and lanterns proposed various improvements in the light source, but did not take into account myopic objects and prolonged exposure to human eyes under non-natural light. This is closely related to the short-term disturbance of the microcirculation of the retina and the dryness of the eyes caused by blood supply disorders. Since the LED is a narrow-spectrum light, it is very different from the continuous spectrum of natural light. The LED spectrum is narrower and looks more dazzling. The spectrum of the LED is not continuous, the wavelength is single, and the spectral energy of the short wavelength is very high. Under long-term irradiation of strong light of one kind of band, the resolving power to other colors is bound to decrease, resulting in an increase in the incidence of color weakness.

LEDs are directional, narrow beam light sources. , Luminous characteristics are different from traditional light sources, and the luminous characteristics of a lighting product composed of multiple LEDs is different from that of a single LED. How to accurately evaluate the light characteristics of LED lighting products is a new topic and an important and key technology. As yet, there is no accurate assessment method and conclusion. Glare is an important indicator of modern lighting quality evaluation. The commonly used glare evaluation methods include the United States Visual Comfort Potential (VCP), the British glare index (GI), the German glare limitation system (brightness limit curve), and the Nordic glare index method. The uniform glare index (UGR) of the International Commission on Illumination (CIE) in recent years. To date, the most widely used glare evaluation is the CIE uniform glare index. Given the ambiguity of current light bio-safety assessment indicators, the uncomfortable glare generated by LED lighting products urgently requires accurate measurement and evaluation.

The evaluation of LED light bio-safety requires high-precision LED imaging brightness meter. At present, China has remotely developed and manufactured manufacturing capacity of imaging brightness meter. Its product specifications can be compared with those of Radiant and German Opteema. In the LED light biometrics assessment of another important basic equipment LED distribution photometer technology, our remote company also has the ability to compete with the German LMT, the United States Lingting Science and other high-precision distributed photometer R & D and manufacturing capabilities. LED lighting products sometimes look very high in color, but the measured color rendering is not high, often causing the opposite of visual and test results. This is mainly because the current system of evaluating the color rendering of LED lighting is still in the 1960s. Designed to evaluate traditional lighting systems, traditional lighting and LED lighting have distinct characteristics. Regarding the color rendering test and evaluation, the Japan Institute of Color Research pointed out that because the type of illumination light will cause differences in the viewing objects, the human eye will have three different wavelengths for R, G, and B when the reflectance is constant. The measured response will produce cognitive differences as the light source and the spectral distribution change. The working group of Japan's lighting-related international specifications committee has reached a resolution to propose a new case for the color rendering evaluation method of new light sources within two years. How to accurately reflect the interpretation of the human eye has become the focus of international attention, systematic research on this issue will be an important hot spot of research on optical biosafety, China will firmly grasp the initial phase of measurement and development of LED light bio-safety standards The right to speak in important areas.

At present, the major international LED manufacturers are using a number of core patent technologies they have mastered, adopt horizontal and vertical expansion methods, set up patent nets and product standards worldwide, and seize the international market through patent authorization and product quality certification. Given the monopoly of the giants in the US, Japan, and Taiwan in the existing LED lighting systems, we need to use the light bio-security strategy to guide the establishment of intellectual property rights in the LED lighting industry with Chinese characteristics and to accumulate capital that will make a big step towards the world. Currently, the LED system under the giant monopoly of the United States, Japan, and Taiwan has a common fatal flaw is that there is no uniform standard for its biological safety, and this will surely become a breakthrough point for our entire industry. Although there are a series of LED photobiological safety evaluation standards in various countries, there are great differences among various standards. At the same time, it is impossible to exclude the possibility that the giants of lighting will override their own interests in the black box operation of bio-security, thus affecting the guiding significance of their objective indicators for the entire industry. In the face of the vigorous development of the domestic LED industry, we must actively conduct research on light bio-security at the forefront of the world in order to avoid the huge strategic losses caused by neglecting the research on photobiological safety. It is because of the absence of bio-safety testing standards for the LED industry that the current government and the public are not aware of the hazards of LED. The unified scientific and technological technology certification can effectively coordinate the healthy development of the industry. As long as China establishes a world-accepted biosafety standard, it can grasp the right to speak in the entire industry and guide the formulation of various upstream production and safety standards. Based on this, a complete set of LED standards with independent intellectual property rights can be established. .

Conventional photobiological safety studies mainly focus on organic damage and various morphological changes, but this photobiological safety assessment is based on experimental animals. The ultimate standpoint of light biosafety should be a non-invasive anthropological experiment. The integration of neuroscience and photobiological safety detection systems will lay the foundation for China's light biosecurity in the global lighting industry. With the rapid development of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), magnetic resonance imaging technology that reflects the functional status of organs provides a new path for functional research. The construction of an MRI magnetic resonance detection center based on clinical and basic medical science will be conducive to the establishment of related standards for photobiological safety and related technological innovations, and will lead to the emergence of newer, more environmentally friendly LED lighting products. The development and maintenance of independent intellectual property rights in the LED industry is of great significance, which is conducive to winning the international discourse right in the field of LED lighting. To establish a lighting LED test standard development platform across the country, set up a bridge for communication and exchange among various organizations, and finally establish a standardized testing system in China, which will provide strong support for the development of China's lighting LED industry. It will help guide LED manufacturers to produce LED lighting sources that are harmless to human health, enabling the LED lighting industry to develop in a healthy and beneficial manner, and to enable the people to truly benefit from the results of high-tech development. At the same time, the formulation of new lighting standards will also create a sky for the entire lighting industry, which in turn will promote the global industrial layout and open up a sky for the development of national enterprises.

The structure, characteristics and applications of LED light sources are quite different from those of traditional light sources. The detection standards and evaluation methods used for traditional light sources are mostly unsuitable for biosafety assessment and detection of LED light sources. The diversity, variability, and innovation of LED application products, the breakthrough in the development of related technologies and the continuous emergence of new products have made it more difficult to detect and evaluate LED lighting. Relying on production companies to test products on their own will greatly increase the workload, inefficiency, and inconsistency of standards. The establishment of a scientific and rational inspection system must rely on universities and research institutes with strong scientific research strength. The best resource allocation scheme is a generic LED light bio-safety detection platform where companies and scientific research institutions collaborate and share common interests.

Based on functional NMR technology, the optical bio-safety function of the NMR detection center is an efficient and accurate photobiological safety detection platform. The establishment of the center will facilitate the integration of resources of universities, research institutes, and enterprises to achieve resource sharing. Through the establishment of a modern management system, it will increase the efficiency of detection and reduce social costs; it will optimize the strategic layout and promote fair competition. What is gratifying is that China's LED light biosafety standardization work has been supported by the national "863" program and affirmed by the international community. Chinese experts are actively fighting for the international standard of LED light biosafety. Establish a platform for the development of lighting LED light biosafety test standards throughout the country, build a light bio-safety testing system that ensures the health of the people, and ultimately achieve the standardization of detection technologies. This will become a powerful technical guide for the development of China's lighting LED industry, and effectively circumvent LED lighting organisms. Potential safety hazards escort the healthy development of the industry.