Re: Safelight alternatives

At 7:48 PM -0400 7/13/01, Kosinski Family wrote:
>about glow sticks, greg writes:
>
>
>the chemicals in them are so nasty
>> that you really don't want them in your landfills.
>>
>
>What chemicals might those be?

 From http://rabi.phys.virginia.edu/HTW//fluorescent_lamps.html:
--------
I believe that the glow sticks contain luminol and hydrogen peroxide,
which mix when you crack the glass ampoule and begin to emit light.
There are several other chemicals present in the sticks to assist
and control the process, but the principle reaction is one in which
the hydrogen peroxide oxidizes ("burns") the luminol molecule.
The result is a product molecule that is initially in an excited state--
its electrons have more energy than they need--and it emits a particle
of bluish-violet light. Since our eyes aren't particularly sensitive to
that bluish-violet light, it's often converted into more visible light
with the help of a fluorescent dye. The green light sticks probably
contain sodium fluorescein molecules, each of which can absorb a
photon of bluish-violet light and reemit some of its energy as a
photon of green light. Other dyes, probably rhodamines, areused to
make red or orange light sticks.
---------

This doesn't sound toxic to me, so I called another diver and I think
we have an explanation:

Small islands in the caribbean that depend on touristshave a big
trash problem - people bring in items that they discard and leave
behind. Islands (such as Bonaire) that have a heavy dependence
on Scuba divers prefer people to use battery-powered lights
for night diving instead of glow sticks, since most divers seem
to follow the request that they take batteries home with them.
This must have morphed into "the chemicals are toxic" from
"please use something that's not disposable".

Sorry for the misinformation.

--