Prepared Statement from Joel La Follette   www.uvlightburns.com

NO FLASH PHOTOS OR VIDEO LIGHTS

  On November 12^th, 2004 my wife and approximately 70 of her colleagues were injured here in this gymnasium when they were exposed to ultra violet radiation from a broken type R metal halide light bulb during an in-service training session. Even though the protective lens had been broken two weeks prior to this incident, the bulb continued to burn. Over a five and one half hour period the teachers directly under this light received a 24 hour dose of UV radiation every 8 minutes. That is equal to a little over 41 days worth of UV exposure in 5.5 hours.

 In the hours that followed their exposure many of these teachers ended up in area emergency rooms, some thinking they were going blind. Others suffered temporary loss of vision, severe burning pain in their eyes and burns to exposed skin.

  At the time the extent or cause of their injuries was not know. Today, over 19 months after this incident we know too well what caused these injuries but have yet to fully understand the extent of the damage done. We have been unable to find answers as to why these four women, and one other now living out of state, continue to suffer from their exposure. Their lives and those of their families have been dramatically changed. They suffer constant pain. Can not spend time outdoors or in well lit rooms without suffering

 What we have learned is that this is not an isolated incident. These lights have failed in the past causing injury, and they continue to fail. I have personally been contacted by injured parties looking for answers after being involved in incidents as recently as this past February. We continue to look for answers.

 Our attempt to get these answers from Philips Lighting, the maker of the bulb that caused the injuries, has been rebuffed. According to the date code on the bulb its date of manufacture was 1988. Our ability to seek answers and request help from Philips has been blocked at this time by Oregon’s SOUR law. This Statute of Ultimate Repose is protecting a company from liability on a product that can easily outlive the time limits placed. A product that has a proven history of failure and injury.

We would like to ask law makers in the state of Oregon to request a recall of this dangerous product and an immediate removal of these lights from all Oregon schools. In addition we request a review of the Statute of Ultimate Repose, a law that protects large corporations, but does not look out for the best interests of the citizens of Oregon.