re: #124 Decatur Deb

Scared myself decades ago photographing a welder at night with an early SLR. I was aware of UV risks, but thought (wrongly) that the 2 inches or so of glass in the lens and prism would attenuate it. About 5 minutes after shooting I got the classic sign of dangerous exposure— the distinct sensation of a handful of sand thrown in the face.

Yup, welding glare is nearly as dangerous as staring at the Sun. It alarms me when I walk around Chinese cities to see workers welding without any goggles or visor. Aside from the risk of blind spots on their retinas, they risk early onset of cataracts.