If you touch the bulb with your fingers, the salts and oils from your skin will damage the bulb and cause the heat to concentrate. This can significantly reduce the life of the bulb or even worse cause it to shatter. For this reason most halogen capsule bulbs that you buy will be sealed in plastic inside the box.
The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency conducted a study into a range of light bulbs and found that although emitting some UVR, none of the halogen lamps tested produced sufficient UV radiation to be hazardous, even at the close distance of 10cm.
Touching the bulb transfers those oils to the headlight bulb where they disrupt the uniform heating process. That bit of oil, which you may not even be able to see, heats at a higher temperature than the rest of the bulb. It can then cause the bulb to crack, shatter, or prematurely burn out.
If you do accidentally touch or otherwise dirty a bulb, it's best to clean using light solvent such as alcohol and a clean, lint free rag.
If you touch the bulb with your fingers, the salts and oils from your skin will damage the bulb and cause the heat to concentrate. This can significantly reduce the life of the bulb or even worse cause it to shatter.
You should never touch a halogen light bulb with your bare hands. Sounds strange, doesn't it? Well, there is actually good reason to avoid contact with the surface of the bulb. The oils on your fingers and skin can damage the quartz glass which creates a hot spot on the surface of the bulb when illuminated.
Don't Touch Halogen Bulbs with Bare Hands
Before long, it will likely burn out. Our recommendation? Use disposable latex or nitrile gloves for headlight changes. Just be sure that you don't touch the fingers of the gloves with your bare hands, as this could cause the same problem.
This is because halogen bulbs burn very hot. Even hotter than traditional incandescents. So in the case of mini halogens and projection bulbs, you don't want to touch these bulbs with your hands, as this can leave oil residue on the bulb.
As part of a nationwide push towards energy efficiency, federally mandated requirements state that lights must now produce more light energy than they use, or at least 45 lumens per watt, effectively banning non-energy efficient halogen or incandescent light bulbs from production.
The surface temperature of bulbs in these type of lamps can approach 1,000 degrees F. The USPSC has received reports of halogen bulbs overheating and exploding. In one case a lamp fell over catching a sofa on fire.
Yes, halogen bulbs are more efficient than their incandescent counterparts, but unfortunately, their warmer temperature output poses a fire hazard, especially if they are touching one item for too long. Halogen bulbs also emit UV rays when turned on.
Because of their delicate filament, vibration can shorten their lifespan. Halogen produces infrared light that can damage artwork and fabrics, and they are sensitive to skin oils, requiring gloves during installation. Other benefits of using LEDs are that they are free of any harmful chemicals or gases.
Halogen lamps emit significant levels of ultraviolet radiation and should be doped or covered with glass prior to use. Incandescent bulbs emit low-dose ultraviolet radiation.
With such high temperatures, halogen lights can be dangerous and cause burns if touched. An LED emits a mere 10% of their energy in heat, making them much more energy efficient and cool to the touch.
Heat - Halogen bulbs emit a LOT of heat. It can be very uncomfortable to sit under halogen bulbs in a kitchen, work space or elevator. They can be dangerous to touch when turned on. High Pressure Gas – May require shield - halogen bulbs require some shielding in most applications in case they shatter.
You can buy incandescent and halogen products until August 1, 2023 (unless you're in a state with current restrictions). After that, some incandescent and halogen bulbs will still available for purchase. The new federal ruling requires general service lamps (GSLs) to meet a minimum efficacy of 45 lumens per watt.
In theory, halogen lights are designed to retain almost 100 percent of their initial brightness over time due to how tungsten particles in the filament are recycled during the illumination process.
It is a good idea to try not to touch the Glass on Halogen Light Bulbs, even when changing the bulb. This is because when you touch a Halogen Light Bulb, you leave behind a residue on the Light Bulb which can in time cause the bulb to heat up unevenly, and even cause the bulb to shatter as a result.
The cover glass removes the ultraviolet light and prevents damaging the object which you are illuminating.
*Extra note on halogen bulbs= clean the glass with a lint-free cloth dipped in a small amount of rubbing alcohol, and dry before re-installing.
In May of 2022, the Department of Energy issued new standards for lighting products. Starting August 1, 2023, the sale of incandescent and halogen bulbs will be banned. Due to a push toward energy efficiency, bulbs that produce less than 45 lumens per watt will be illegal to sell.
A federal law will take effect in 2023 prohibiting the sale of bulbs with a luminous efficacy of fewer than 45 lumens per watt. This will phase out the majority of incandescent bulbs and halogen lamps currently on the market.
Halogen light bulbs have tungsten filaments housed in a quartz capsule and filled with iodine and bromine gases .