The new EU lighting standards implementation soon

The new EU General Lighting Standard EN60598-1: 2015 will be held on October 20, 2017 and the transition period will be finished and standard will be enforced. This version is more technical than the previous EN60598-1: 2008, including some important technical changes. One of the biggest changes is the inclusion of photobiological safety in a mandatory standard for the first time. It’s regulated that if the use of lights including LED, metal halide lamps and some special halogen lamps, it cannot be exempted from the retina hazard assessment of the light source. It should be based on IEC / TR62778: 2012 "light source and light of the photobiological safety Blu-ray damage assessment application ", and should not use the Blu-ray hazard group, which is greater than the RG2 light source. In 2016, for example, China's LED lighting exports to the EU value up to more than 20 billion dollars. Once the product quality does not meet the standard requirements, and be withdrawn or destroyed by the EU market sampling and notification, and other severe penalties, so that enterprises will suffer economic losses, and even included in the blacklist. Therefore, for the standard version, enterprises involving the majority of export should raise awareness, and pay close attention to the relevant response work.

Natural light consists of a variety of different colors of the spectrum, different wavelengths in the visual show is a different color. Physical studies have shown that the shorter the wavelength, the stronger the energy, and the stronger the penetration. Therefore, people will pay special attention to the short wavelength of blue light on the human eye hazards. According to industry insiders, blue light may cause three aspects of the human eye: First, the high content of blue-ray may cause visual fatigue to increase; Second, the physiological development of the eye may have an impact; Third, operation in such light environment for a long-term, and when at old age, ill that induced by the possibility of human macular degeneration will increase. Therefore, for the protection of domestic consumers’ personal safety considerations, while the effective prevention of blue-ray hazards, the EU took the lead in light biosafety to a mandatory standard height. It is expected to other countries and regions will gradually follow it and to be implemented.

The new version of the standard involved in photobiological requirements are mainly reflected in the following two aspects: First, increase the chapter 3.2.23. Do not look at the light source logo; the second is to increase the chapter 4.24 light biosecurity. Requirements about photobiological safety include radiation intensity, radiation brightness, etc., and hazard classification of products based on test data, including hazard class 0 (RG0 exemption level), Class 1 hazard (RG1 low risk), Class 2 hazard (RG2) And 3 categories of risk (RG3 high risk) a total of four levels. In addition, the new version of the standard also introduced IEC / TR62778: 2012 "light source and lighting of light biosafety Blu-ray damage assessment application", specifically for the retinal blue light hazards were as follows:

Lamps are protected from RG0 unrestricted or RG1 unrestricted light sources or lamps used after complete assembly for RG0 unrestricted or RG1 unrestricted, blue light hazard does not apply;

For fixed fixtures, the distance Xm between the boundaries of the lamps RG2 and RG1 shall be determined in accordance with the additional evaluation of IEC / TR62778 and shall be marked and stated;

More than 1 type of dangerous moving fixtures and hand-held lamps need to be marked "Do not stare at light source".

To this end, the inspection and quarantine departments remind lighting manufacturers which  export to the EU-related places: First, to organize technical staff to study the new standards, seize the advantages of starting, as soon as possible to master new changes, in particular, the importance of the first light biosafety Claim. Second, to modify or design products to meet the requirements of the new standards, and as soon as possible with qualified third-party laboratories to do a good job of product testing. To obtain a valid certificate before export as well as to be prepared to deal with it before the end of the EU transition period. Third, during the actual production to grasp the quality control of the entire process, and to ensure that the quality of each batch of goods in line meet the requirements of the importing country, so avoiding the quality of defects leading to product exports blocked.