RE: UV hazards from sparks (fwd)

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 29 Jun 2007 03:12:35 +0000
From: Jeff Behary <jeff_behary@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: RE: UV hazards from sparks (fwd)

Mike, Scott,

This email isn't meant to scare anyone, but is just for reference in some 
"exteme" experiments where there was no caution taken at all.

As early as 1897 Tesla Coil investigators found that they could receive 
something similar to an X-Ray burn even without an X-Ray tube attached to 
their coils...these burns were caused by both the electrical phenomenon 
created by the coils and the UV of both the spark gaps and the coil 
discharges.

I've experienced similar burns with Pancake Coils  and also cylindrical 
coils where corona effects were made between large plates and parts of the 
body (or the whole body) was inserted inside.
They all involve fascinating experiences, but minutes, hours, even days 
later they can come with consequences.  For the skin, painful blisters can 
develop.

There is one type of Tesla Coil discharge that was nicknamed the "Phantom" 
streamer.  It is barely visible to the naked eye even in complete darkness, 
and appears as faint white parallel lines strobing back and forth from the 
terminal.    For example, in a coil producing a 6" spark these "phantoms" 
may stobe outward a foot or more from the terminal under certain conditions. 
  They will make your hair stand on end to some extent and emit a lot more 
ozone than normal purple coronas and sparks.  There is also a strong "static 
breeze" felt near these as well.  Photographing them is impossible next to 
direct film contact:

http://www.electrotherapymuseum.com/2006/SnakesPaper1/images/Snakes0000i.jpg
http://www.electrotherapymuseum.com/2006/SnakesPaper1/images/Snakes0003ib.jpg

In many ways they are similar to the negative discharges of a static 
machine, but more intense.

These discharges have fascinated me for over a year, but in studying them 
I've experienced everything from intense stignatisms (sp?) afterward to 
headaches and lethargy.
Sometimes the most faint Tesla Coil discharge can leave you seeing spots as 
if you've been looking at the sun or a welding arc.

I have now restorted to viewing many phenomenon from behind a pane of glass. 
  This helps to shield the UV effects which are quite strong even from 
discharges that give off faint amounts of visible light.  It also shields 
the ozone to some extent.

Jeff Behary, c/o
The Turn Of The Century Electrotherapy Museum
http://www.electrotherapymuseum.com

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