IEC 62471-7:2023

IEC 62471-7
®

Edition 1.0 2023-02
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
colour
inside
Photobiological safety of lamps and lamp systems –
Part 7: Light sources and luminaires primarily emitting visible radiation

Sécurité photobiologique des lampes et des appareils utilisant des lampes –
Partie 7: Sources de lumière et luminaires qui émettent principalement
un rayonnement visible

IEC 62471-7:2023-02(en-fr)

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IEC 62471-7

®


Edition 1.0 2023-02




INTERNATIONAL



STANDARD




NORME


INTERNATIONALE
colour

inside










Photobiological safety of lamps and lamp systems –

Part 7: Light sources and luminaires primarily emitting visible radiation



Sécurité photobiologique des lampes et des appareils utilisant des lampes –

Partie 7: Sources de lumière et luminaires qui émettent principalement

un rayonnement visible















INTERNATIONAL

ELECTROTECHNICAL

COMMISSION


COMMISSION

ELECTROTECHNIQUE


INTERNATIONALE




ICS 29.140.01; 31.260 ISBN 978-2-8322-6523-9




Warning! Make sure that you obtained this publication from an authorized distributor.

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® Registered trademark of the International Electrotechnical Commission
Marque déposée de la Commission Electrotechnique Internationale

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– 2 – IEC 62471-7:2023 © IEC 2023
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 4
INTRODUCTION . 6
1 Scope . 7
2 Normative references . 7
3 Terms and definitions . 8
4 Optical radiation hazards of light sources and luminaires . 15
5 Actinic UV hazards exposure for skin and eye (200 nm to 400 nm) . 16
5.1 General . 16
5.2 Actinic UV assessment for light sources . 16
5.3 Actinic UV assessment for luminaires . 16
6 UV-A hazard assessment for the eye lens (315 nm to 400 nm) . 17
6.1 General . 17
6.2 UV-A light source and luminaire assessment . 17
7 Retinal blue light hazard assessment (300 nm to 700 nm) . 18
7.1 General . 18
7.2 Blue light hazard assessment for light sources . 18
7.3 Blue light hazard assessment for luminaires . 18
7.4 Retinal blue light hazard assessment – Small source (300 nm to 700 nm) . 21
8 Retinal thermal hazard assessment (380 nm to 1 400 nm) . 21
8.1 General . 21
8.2 Retinal thermal hazard for light source assessment . 21
8.3 Retinal thermal hazard assessment for luminaire . 22
8.4 Retinal thermal hazard assessment – Weak visual stimulus (780 nm to
1 400 nm) . 22
9 Infrared hazard assessment for the eye (780 nm to 3 000 nm) . 22
9.1 General . 22
9.2 Light source and luminaire assessment . 23
10 Thermal hazard assessment for the skin (380 nm to 3 000 nm) . 23
10.1 General . 23
10.2 Light source and luminaire assessment . 23
Annex A (informative) Information on emission limits for light sources and luminaires . 24
Annex B (informative) Information on UV hazards exposure (200 nm to 400 nm) . 26
Annex C (informative) Information on retinal hazards (300 nm to 1 400 nm) . 27
Annex D (informative) Information on IR-hazard (380 nm to 3 000 nm) . 29
Annex E (informative) Example of a complete luminaire assessment of a LED office
luminaire . 30
E.1 UV assessment . 30
E.1.1 Actinic UV (Clause 5) . 30
E.1.2 UV-A (Clause 6) . 30
E.2 Retinal hazard assessment . 30
E.2.1 Blue light hazard (Clause 7). 30
E.2.2 Thermal retinal hazard (Clause 8) . 30
E.3 Infrared radiation hazard assessment for the eye (780 nm to 3 000 nm)
(Clause 9) . 30
E.4 Thermal hazard assessment for the skin (380 nm to 3 000 nm) (Clause 10) . 30
Bibliography . 31

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IEC 62471-7:2023 © IEC 2023 – 3 –
Figure C.1 – Flowchart to define worst-case (minimum) time to dose for the
assessment of the blue light hazard L as a function of application-specific conditions
B
of luminaires . 28

Table 1 – Optical radiation hazards covered in this document . 15
Table 2 – Application-related blue light radiance emission limits at assessment
distances for luminaires . 20

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– 4 – IEC 62471-7:2023 © IEC 2023
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________

PHOTOBIOLOGICAL SAFETY OF LAMPS AND LAMP SYSTEMS –

Part 7: Light sources and luminaires primarily emitting visible radiation

FOREWORD
1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising
all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote international
co-operation on all questions concerning standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. To this end and
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Standardization (ISO) in accordance with conditions determined by agreement between the two organizations.
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8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this publication. Use of the referenced publications is
indispensable for the correct application of this publication.
9) Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this IEC Publication may be the subject of patent
rights. IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
IEC 62471-7 has been prepared by IEC technical committee 34: Lighting. It is an International
Standard.
The text of this International Standard is based on the following documents:
Draft Report on voting
34/1004/FDIS 34/1011/RVD

Full information on the voting for its approval can be found in the report on voting indicated in
the above table.
The language used for the development of this International Standard is English.
This document was drafted in accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2, and developed in
accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1 and ISO/IEC Directives, IEC Supplement, available
at www.iec.ch/members_experts/refdocs. The main document types developed by IEC are
described in greater detail at www.iec.ch/publications.

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IEC 62471-7:2023 © IEC 2023 – 5 –
A list of all parts in the IEC 62471 series, published under the general title Photobiological
safety of lamps and lamp systems, can be found on the IEC website.
The committee has decided that the contents of this document will remain unchanged until the
stability date indicated on the IEC website under webstore.iec.ch in the data related to the
specific document. At this date, the document will be
• reconfirmed,
• withdrawn,
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.
IMPORTANT – The "colour inside" logo on the cover page of this document indicates that it
contains colours which are considered to be useful for the correct understanding of its
contents. Users should therefore print this document using a colour printer.
The contents of the corrigendum 1 (2023-06) have been included in this copy.

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– 6 – IEC 62471-7:2023 © IEC 2023
INTRODUCTION
The wording "lamps and lamp systems" is used in the title of the IEC 62471 series. However,
in the title of this Part 7, the wording "light sources and luminaires" is used. The reason for this
is that due to the introduction of new LED technologies the characteristics of the light-generating
components have changed. Therefore, the terms "electrical light source" and "luminaire" are
nowadays used in TC 34 instead of "lamp" and "lamp system".
"Electric light source" is the generic term for products which produce light; the term "lamp" (light
source with a lamp cap-holder system) is thereby included.
"Luminaire" is the basic term (see IEC 60050-845:2020, 845-30-001) for a product that includes
all necessary accessories and describes a device that distributes, filters, or transforms the light
produced from at least one source of optical radiation and which includes, except the sources
themselves, all the parts necessary for fixing and protecting the sources and, where necessary,
circuit auxiliaries together with the means for connecting them to the power supply.
When luminaires are designed and constructed in accordance with the requirements of
this document, they are presumed to function safely under normal use and present no
photobiological hazard. Conformity of luminaires can be verified by application of the
assessment procedures described in this document.
The light sources can be interchangeable or an integral part of the luminaire. If the light source
is an integral part of the luminaire, the luminaire can also be considered a light source system
(corresponding to a lamp system).
Most electrical light sources and luminaires within the scope of this document will not present
a photobiological hazard due to their spectra, their light distribution, the light levels, and the
natural aversion responses – people do not usually stare into bright sources, for example. There
remain, however, some light sources and luminaires, which have the potential to pose adverse
health effects from the emitted optical radiation. Exposure limits for a range of photobiological
hazards associated with broad-band optical radiation sources have been developed and
published by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).
This document introduces a new assessment procedure to address the various lighting
applications in which the intended purpose is the illumination of objects and scenes and in
signalling applications. This new approach uses revised time bases (and emission limits) related
to the intentional or unintentional direct viewing of the luminaire and assessment distances
depending on application. These emission limits are based on the exposure limits of the
ICNIRP.
In this document, a complete procedure is used to cover all photobiological hazards in the range
of 200 nm to 3 000 nm as implemented in IEC 62471.
This procedure, based on a product- and application-related assessment, leads to a pass/fail
result for a specific product in that given application.

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IEC 62471-7:2023 © IEC 2023 – 7 –
PHOTOBIOLOGICAL SAFETY OF LAMPS AND LAMP SYSTEMS –

Part 7: Light sources and luminaires primarily emitting visible radiation



1 Scope
This part of IEC 62471 specifies an assessment of the photobiological safety of electrical light
sources and luminaires in normal use as well as some basic product requirements. It applies to
electrical light sources and luminaires that emit radiation predominantly in the visible spectral
range (380 nm to 780 nm) and are used to illuminate spaces or objects or used for signalling.
Electrical light sources and luminaires designed for emitting radiation in the visible range can
also emit radiation in the ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) regions depending on the technology
applied. This document, therefore, includes the blue light, thermal, UV, UV-A, IR and skin
thermal hazards for the optical radiation over the wavelength range 200 nm to 3 000 nm.
Electrical light sources and luminaires that are designed to predominantly emit radiation outside
the visible spectral range (380 nm to 780 nm) (e.g. UV sterilizers or industrial heaters) are not
within the scope of this document.
Electrical light sources for illumination are considered to emit continuous light for
photobiological safety assessment. This includes light sources with pulse width modulation
(PWM).
This document can also be applied to the illumination function of multi-function luminaires which
can simultaneously perform functions other than illumination. Other standards can be applied
to the non-illumination function(s).
This document can also be applied to electric light sources and luminaires which emit visible
light, when there is no limitation on the presence of people (e.g. horticulture).
This document can also be applied to laser products used for illumination and signalling when
the conditions of IEC 60825-1:2014, 4.4 are met.
NOTE See IEC 60825-1:2014 for other requirements of laser products.
This document is intended to be referenced by product standards for the assessment of
applicable photobiological safety aspects. Additional details for the photobiological safety
assessment and data presentation are specified in the product standards.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies.
For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any
amendments) applies.
IEC 60050-845, International Electrotechnical Vocabulary (IEV) – Part 845: Lighting, available
at http://www.electropedia.org
IEC 60598-1:2020, Luminaires – Part 1: General requirements and tests
IEC 62471:2006, Photobiological safety of lamps and lamp systems

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– 8 – IEC 62471-7:2023 © IEC 2023
IEC 62471-5:2015, Photobiological safety of lamps and lamp systems – Part 5: Image projectors
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in IEC 62471,
IEC 60050-845 and the following apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following
addresses:
• IEC Electropedia: available at https://www.electropedia.org/
• ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp
3.1
blue light hazard
BLH
potential for a photochemically induced retinal injury (photic maculopathy) resulting from optical
radiation exposure at wavelengths primarily between 400 nm and 500 nm
Note 1 to entry: This damage mechanism dominates over the thermal damage mechanism for exposure durations
exceeding 10 s.
Note 2 to entry: The weighting function extends into the UV-A for persons without a normal UV-A absorbing lens.
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-845:2020, 845-26-055, modified – In Note 2 to entry "action spectrum"
has been replaced with "weighting function".]
3.2
exposure limit
maximum level of exposure of a surface, usually the eye or skin, that is not expected to result
in adverse biological effects
Note 1 to entry: Exposure limits for human safety of optical radiation, H , are normally recommended by the
L
International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).
Note 2 to entry: Exposure limits are often based on irradiance (e.g. for the skin), but where relevant, can also be
based on radiance (e.g. the blue light hazard of extended sources).
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-845:2020, 845-26-072]
3.3
emission limit
specified maximum emission level of a source of optical radiation that is not expected to result
in adverse biological effect for a specific application
Note 1 to entry: Evaluation of sources to the emission limits can be based upon reasonably foreseeable conditions
of time-weighted exposure. It incorporates both the concept of exposure duration and exposure distance and is
derived from exposure limits.
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-161:1990, 161-03-12, modified – The domain has been deleted, the
definition has been adapted in relation to optical radiation and the Note to entry has been
added.]

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IEC 62471-7:2023 © IEC 2023 – 9 –
3.4
field of view
FOV
solid angle as "seen" by the detector (acceptance angle), e.g. of a radiometer or
spectroradiometer, out of which the detector receives radiation
Note 1 to entry: The field of view should not be confused with the angular subtense of the apparent source, α.
Note 2 to entry: A plane angle is sometimes used to describe a circular symmetric solid angle field of view.
Note 3 to entry: The field of view is expressed in steradian (sr).
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-845:2020, 845-25-077]
3.5
illuminance
E
v
density of incident luminous flux with respect to area at a point on a real or imaginary surface
dΦ
v
E =
v
dA

where Φ is luminous flux and A is the area on which the luminous flux is incident
v
Note 1 to entry: Illuminance can be derived from the spectral irradiance distribution by
∞
E = KE (λ·) V(λ·) d(λ)
v me,λ
∫
0

where K is maximum luminous efficacy, E (λ) is the spectral irradiance at wavelength λ and V(λ) is spectral
m e,λ
luminous efficiency.
Note 2 to entry: The corresponding radiometric quantity is "irradiance". The corresponding quantity for photons is
"photon irradiance".
−2
Note 3 to entry: The illuminance is expressed in lux (lx = lm · m ).
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-845:2020, 845-21-060]
3.6
infrared radiation
IRR
optical radiation for which the wavelengths are longer than those for visible radiation
Note 1 to entry: For infrared radiation, the range between 780 nm and 1 mm is commonly subdivided into:
IR-A: 780 nm to 1 400 nm, or 0,78 μm to 1,4 μm;
IR-B: 1,4 μm to 3,0 μm;
IR-C: 3 μm to 1 mm.
Note 2 to entry: A precise border between "visible radiation" and "infrared radiation" cannot be defined because
visual sensation at wavelengths greater than 780 nm can be experienced.
Note 3 to entry: In some applications the infrared spectrum has also been divided into "near", "middle", and "far"
infrared; however, the borders necessarily vary with the application.
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-845:2020, 845-21-004]

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– 10 – IEC 62471-7:2023 © IEC 2023
3.7
irradiance
density of incident radiant flux with respect to area at a point on a real or imaginary surface
dΦ
e
E =
e
dA

where Φ is radiant flux and A is the area on which the radiant flux is incident
e
Note 1 to entry: The corresponding photometric quantity is "illuminance". The corresponding quantity for photons
is "photon irradiance".
−2
Note 2 to entry: The irradiance is expressed in watt per square metre (W · m ).
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-845:2020, 845-21-053]
3.8
electric light source
primary light source with the means for connecting to the power supply and usually designed to
be incorporated into a luminaire
Note 1 to entry: In IEC standards, "light source” and "lamp" are commonly used with the same meaning.
Note 2 to entry: An electric light source can be an electric lamp, or LED module designed to be connected by
terminals, connectors, or similar devices.
Note 3 to entry: For products that have the same physical characteristics as electric light sources for general lighting
but that are built to emit optical radiation (IEV 845-21-002) mainly in the IR or UV spectrum, the term "IR lamp" or
"UV lamp" is often used.
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-845:2020, 845-27-004, modified – In Note 1 to entry, "and "lamp" are"
has been added and Note 3 to entry has been added.]
3.9
luminaire
apparatus which distributes, filters or transforms the light transmitted from at least one source
of optical radiation and which includes, except the sources themselves, all the parts necessary
for fixing and protecting the sources and, where necessary, circuit auxiliaries together with the
means for connecting them to the power supply
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-845:2020, 845-30-001]
3.10
optical radiation
electromagnetic radiation at wavelengths between the region of transition to X-rays (λ ≈ 1 nm)
and the region of transition to radio waves (λ ≈ 1 mm)
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-845:2020, 845-21-002]

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