Is neon light a problem

Fabio BERETTA wrote:

I am finally decided and started building the darkroom in my laundry.

During a light-tight check I have noticed that the neon tubes that I use
for the illumination of the room is still visible for a while even
without power.

Can this cause fogging of the paper? If this is the case I shuould find
the way to cover them during darkroom use.

My rule is if you can see it....

Neon tubes, like florescent lighting, will glow after turning off the power
due to the charged particles in the gases. I'd probably be more worried
about it fogging film than paper, but it likely depends on how close you
are to the light source or how large the light source is. Florescent tubes
can emit light for as long as 10 minutes after turning off so I'd be
cautious. Tungsten is a better choice for darkroom lighting.

I'd never load or unload film in proximity to tube lighting, but for paper
you could do a simple fog test just like you would to check and see if your
safelight is too bright -- take a test strip and put some coins or other
solid objects on the paper emulsion and leave it in the afterglow for 10
minutes, or about as long as it takes you to exposue and develop a typical
print.