Organiser of Hong Kong Bored Ape NFT event says eye pain reported by some party-goers may be due to UVA light exposure
- At least 22 people experienced eye pain, vision problems or skin irritation after attending Bored Ape Yacht Club event held over weekend
- Doctors explain that UV light comes in varying intensity and UVA and UVB lights are commonly used in tanning beds and lamps for gel manicures
The organiser of a non-fungible token (NFT) event in Hong Kong where at least 22 people experienced eye pain, vision problems or skin irritation revealed on Thursday that UVA emitting lights were likely to be the cause of the conditions.
Bored Ape Yacht Club, owned by Yuga Labs based in the United States, said on social media that reports of the eye and skin problems suffered by some attendees and staff at Saturday’s ApeFest event at Kai Tak Cruise Terminal continued to be “deeply concerning” to them.
The company said it had launched an investigation that included “a thorough review of inventory records, material logs, and spec sheets (including paint and lighting), interviewing contractors who provided and built ApeFest installations, and conducting testing and on-site inspections”.
“This comprehensive investigation, undertaken in collaboration with Jack Morton Worldwide, the global brand experience agency that produced ApeFest 2023, has determined that UVA emitting lights installed in one corner of the event [were] … likely [to be] the cause of the reported issues related to attendees’ eyes and skin.”
The third edition of the event was held for the first time outside New York from Friday to Sunday.
The main party on Saturday ran from 5pm to 11pm, but a number of attendees later began complaining of eye and skin problems on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter. Photos and videos online showed colourful lighting was used around the site.
Dermatologist Dr Kingsley Chan Hau-ngai said UV rays were classified according to their wavelengths into UVA, UVB and UVC.
Sunlight that reached the earth’s surface consisted of 95 per cent UVA and 5 per cent UVB, while its UVC rays were absorbed by the atmosphere, he said. UVA and UVB lights are commonly used in tanning beds and lamps for gel manicures, while UVC ones are used for sterilisation.
Excessive exposure to UVA normally led to skin darkening, ageing and wrinkling, while UVB rays could cause sunburn and were a leading cause of skin cancer, he added.
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The severity of damage caused by UV rays depended on their wavelengths and energy, as well as the duration of exposure, Chan noted.
“People commonly do not get sunburn by tanning beds or manicure lamps as there are restrictions in the duration of usage,” he said.
People with fair skin and those taking photosensitive drugs were also more prone to sunburn, he explained, adding those who were closer to the lights were at greater risk.
Dr Chow Pak-chin, an ophthalmologist, said UVA rays could also be harmful to human eyes if their energy and the duration of exposure was high.
Chow, the former president of the College of Ophthalmologists, noted that as UV rays were invisible to humans, people would be unable to sense their exposure even while the light was injuring them, with symptoms only appearing a few hours later.
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Both experts said they were unsure whether the government regulated the use of UV lights at events or concert venues, but emphasised the need for rules.
“The government can set up a task force to write up the regulations and include doctors and engineers to join,” Chow said. “They can write up guidelines for staff on how to use the lights and the steps to follow before conducting rehearsals and performances.”
Lawmaker Chan Hoi-yan, a member of the legislature’s health services panel, said some contractors in the industry had told her they were not required to inform authorities of the types of lights being used when setting up events.
She urged the government to conduct an investigation into the event and ensure the industry was alerted to what happened. In the long term, authorities could consider requiring contractors to declare whether they had used UV lights or ban them from using ones that exceeded a certain threshold.
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Veteran lighting designer Terence Wong Kim-shan said LED lights and tungsten ones were commonly used for performances, while it was uncommon to use UV lights which were three times as expensive.
“But new types of lights are launched very rapidly nowadays, maybe once every three months, and even I may not understand how they work, ” Wong said. “It is also possible that there are stronger and newer lights in the market that I do not know about.”
In a reply to the Post on Wednesday, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department said that activities regulated by the Places of Public Entertainment Ordinance would involve consulting a number of government departments to ensure compliance with criteria such as public order and safety, fire safety, building safety, electrical and mechanical installations, crowd management and hygiene.
“According to records, the department issued a temporary Places of Public Entertainment Licence to the organiser for the event, which was valid until November 5,” its spokesman said.
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He said the authority was making inquiries with the organiser before referring the findings to relevant departments for follow-up action.
The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department on Thursday said the environmental hygiene department had consulted them on the electrical installations for the event, which had complied with the requirements of the Electricity Ordinance and safety standards.
Its spokesman added that for other activities, the environmental hygiene department would seek advice on laser equipment, amusement rides and gas installations, but it had only received inquiries about electrical installations for Saturday’s event.
