FOR years, pointing a Ultra Powerful Laser Pointer from tieguanyin's blog
FOR years, pointing a Ultra Powerful Laser Pointer at an aeroplane has been, unlike some other similarly stupid and dangerous acts, relatively easy to get away with. It only takes an instant to put a planeload of lives at risk and then drive away. But now America's Federal Bureau of Investigation is doubling down on its effort to find and prosecute the perpetrators of this increasingly common crime. Earlier this year, the FBI launched a pilot programme offering $10,000 rewards for information leading to the arrest and conviction of people who shine lasers at planes; last week, the agency announced that it is taking the idea national.
This article from Princeton University deals with laser pointer use and human effect, and it mentions that use of Laser Pointer Green that are higher than 5 mW are dangerous and should not be used, so it seems like the green one might be safe, although they recommend that the lower the output the better, as they will be safer.
Like with any laser, avoid pointing it at your cat's eyes, or at reflective surfaces that might reflect the laser into their eyes, and that can cause problems, the same way it can for humans.
A recent study released by researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has revealed an alarming trend. Of 122 hand-held Red Laser Pen Pointer tested, 44% of red lasers and 90% of green lasers tested failed federal safety regulations.
The primary culprit was overpowered units. The Code of Federal Regulations in the United States limits commercial class IIIa lasers to 5 milliwatts (mW). And yes, lasers above 5 mW are commercially available in the United States, but it is illegal to market them as Class IIIa devices. Some units in the NIST study tested as high as 13 times over the legal limit at 66.5 mW. For context, many military grade rifle mounted lasers are rated at 50 mW.
The Quartet High Impact Plastic Laser Pointer 10mW (Silver) from Apollo is a high-powered laser pointer encased in a brushed aluminum body with gold accents, with a built-in pocket clip. The red beam can be projected from up to 1500' away, making it an ideal choice for large conference rooms or meeting spaces. This is a class 3 laser and the (2) AAA batteries required to power it are included with the device.
On 1 March 2014 the Customs Import Prohibition (High-power Laser Pointers) Order 2013 came into force. These regulations restrict the sale/supply of high-power laser pointers to those who are “authorised supplier(s)”. The regulation also restricts the acquisition of such devices to those who are “authorised recipient(s)”.
The new regulations do not ban laser pointers outright but they do impose controls on the supply chain and people are required to justify why they need the higher power devices (as opposed to a lower power laser pointer).
If your security personnel use a laser pointer device, they must view this Ministry of Health flow chart to tell whether or not their device is a high-power laser pointer covered by the new controls.
The Wall