Health workers suffer indoor sunburn from too-bright lightbulb

WORKERS at a Scottish hospital were treated for symptoms similar to sunburn because the wrong light bulb was used in a device to kill flies.

An investigation was launched after the incident at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness, which affected eight people.

It followed a food preparation demonstration in the hospital’s catering department. An electric fly-killer in the room using ultraviolet (UV) light used a UVC bulb instead of a UVA bulb.

Shortwave UVC is the most damaging to skin. Longwave UVA is enough to tan skin.

Several hours after the demonstration yesterday, two members of staff and one from outside the hospital reported symptoms of a skin rash and sore, watery eyes.

A further three NHS Highland staff and two environmental health officers from Highland Council experienced similar symptoms a few hours after being in the same side room of the Raigmore kitchen on Monday.

In all, five of those affected – three NHS Highland staff and two others – attended the accident and emergency department and were given treatment for their eye irritation.

A NHS spokeswoman said no hospital admissions were necessary and all those affected were either fully recovered or recovering well, and are back at work. The investigation involved officials from occupational health, health and safety, and public health departments in the health board, as well as environmental health services at the council.

The spokeswoman said: “The cause has been confirmed as the wrong UV light bulbs being used in an electric fly-killer within the side room of the kitchen.

“The bulbs used emit UVC light instead of UVA light and this has resulted in the affected staff experiencing mild sunburn of the exposed skin on their head and neck, and cornea of the eye, which led to the soreness and watering.

“These effects are short-term. Catering staff have been briefed and reassured that there is no long-term damage or implications for their health.”

She added: “All similar devices throughout NHS Highland have now been checked and appropriate procedures put in place to ensure that this does not happen again.”

The board said the running of the hospital’s catering department has been unaffected.

Unlike humans, some species of flying insect such as houseflies and bluebottles, wasps and mosquitoes can see ultraviolet light.

Electric-insect control devices lure insects by means of UVA light and destroy them on an electrically-charged grid.

UVC lamps are used in devices which require stronger UV light to kill off germs and bacteria present in, for example, drinking water and milk.

They emit a shorter wavelength of ultraviolet light than UVA, which can cause short-term damage to the outer layers of the skin and cornea. This results in reddening of the skin and irritation of the eye.

As well as hospitals, germi-cidal UV technology is used to kill germs and purify air in many work places.

In April, ten staff who took part in a food trial at Raigmore Hospital, which has 577 beds and employs around 3,200 people, were struck down with illness that left them with irritation to the eyes and swelling to the face.

The workers were testing a new food product aimed at patients with swallowing difficulties, such as stroke victims and dementia sufferers.

Symptoms ranged from temporary loss of vision to facial inflammation and severe itching. An investigation was launched focusing on the packaging and it is believed the food product was not to blame.