Using Halogen Bulbs Safely

Is a halogen lamp a fire hazard? Not if treated properly, but consumers do need to know that halogen bulbs require special handling.

“Any incandescent is like a white-hot wire in a bottle and most of its energy is dissipated in heat,” said Lester LeDay of Southern California Edison’s Customer Technology Application Center. “A halogen can reach more than 900 degrees Fahrenheit, and if it touches anything flammable at that flash point, it will ignite it. “

The issue surfaced last week when a fire in the Manhattan apartment of musician Lionel Hampton did major damage and injured 19 people (Hampton escaped safely). The fire apparently started, officials said, when a halogen lamp tipped over and ignited a piece of furniture.

Halogens were introduced in 1983. There are now 35 to 40 million torchier (or pole) lamps with tubular halogen bulbs in homes and businesses, according to Underwriters Laboratory in Santa Clara, Calif., which conducts product safety tests for manufacturers. Most models protect the bulb with a lens guard or wire guard.

“When operated properly, halogens have not posed any large or specific problem,” said spokesman Bob Spelleri. “We did ask manufacturers to lower the wattage of the bulbs they provide from 500 watts to 300 watts, starting last fall.”

That request followed tests by the Consumer Product Safety Commission that showed tubular halogen bulbs can reach temperatures ranging from about 970 degrees Fahrenheit for a 300-watt tubular halogen bulb to 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit for a 500-watt tubular bulb. (Other types of halogen bulbs operate at lower temperatures.)

The CPSC has offered safety tips for use of torchier lamps with tubular halogen bulbs, including:

* Never allow torchier halogen lamps to be placed where the bulb could come in contact with curtains or other cloth window treatments.

* Never leave a torchier halogen lamp on when you leave the room or are not at home.

* Never drape clothes over a torchier halogen lamp.

* For lamps equipped with a dimmer switch, operate the lamp at a setting lower than the maximum whenever possible.

* Keep halogen lamps away from elevated beds like bunk beds where bedding may get too close to the tubular bulb.