Product Code: JLA_25_3_032007

Authors:
Joshua Hadler
Quantum Electronics and Photonics Division, NIST, Boulder, Colorado 80305

Edna Tobares
Office of Safety, Health and Environment, NIST, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899

Marla Dowell
Quantum Electronics and Photonics Division, NIST, Boulder, Colorado 80305

In random testing of 122 commercial laser pointers, the authors observed that 90% of green pointers and 44% of red pointers were not in compliance with the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), producing laser power in excess of the CFR-allowed limit at one or more laser wavelengths. The measurement results are presented and the authors describe the inexpensive test bed they used. Also, they suggest physical mechanisms that could account for the hazardous levels of laser pointer emissions.