Dozens of attendees at the ApeFest event organized for NFT Bored Ape owners complained of burning and sore eyes, vision problems and skin irritation.
In social networks, it was assumed that the cause could be ultraviolet radiation, which provoked photokeratitis (also known as snow blindness) – damage to the outer layers of the cornea. On Tuesday, the New York Times reported that the number of victims had reached 20 people.
Yuga Labs said it investigated the event’s organizer, event agency Jack Morton Worldwide, and confirmed that it was radiation from UV lamps installed in the venue that was the “probable cause” of the problems.
“These reports are very disturbing to us. We immediately contacted those affected to learn about their symptoms and direct our investigation,” said the firm that created NFT Bored Ape.
Long-term exposure to ultraviolet light on the eyes, as well as on the skin, can lead to diseases. UV radiation can increase the risk of cancer, cataracts, macular degeneration, and fatty deposits or neoplasms on the whites of the eye (pinguecula and pterygium, respectively).
Goodbye, gel polish. Scientists have found that the UV lamp for manicure causes DNA damage, mutations and increases the risk of skin cancer.
The current ApeFest is far from the only event where visitors were exposed to harmful ultraviolet rays. In 2015, 4 children in Turkey developed photokeratitis after watching a school theater play with a light show, and in 2016, ophthalmologists in the UK reported a case of “massive photokeratitis” in 22 people who were at a nightclub. In 2020, a public health organization in India said 284 people developed photokeratitis after attending a music event where a broken metal halide lamp was later found.
Justin Bieber lost more than $1.2 million on his NFT Bored Ape — that’s 95% of the initial value of the “bored monkey”
Source: Ars Technica
