I know this one might be silly, but... some of the TV shows I watch
show scenes of metal being "arc" welded.  Some examples of these
shows are:  Monster Garage, Monster House, Junkyard Wars, Mythbusters,
etc.  Of course the welders on the show are wearing protective welding
masks to protect their eyesight.  It seems reasonable to me that the
TV viewer is also protected, as the light emitted from the TV is
actually only as bright as the TV itself can display.  However, just
out of curiosity, I attempted to find any imperical data as to the
safety of watching arc welding on TV and have been able to find none. 
I'd be curious to find any reading materials or websites with
pertinent information.  Thanks!

I don't know about your answer, but I accidentally glanced at an arc
welder in action one time, and let me tell you, it wasn't pleasant,
and additionally, I saw a white shadow for most of the day after
that...thankfully nothing permanent.

Is it safe to watch Arc Welding on TV?

The direct answer to your question is yes.

You said it yourself, "the light emitted from the TV is actually only
as bright as the TV itself can display", and that's exactly the case.
Looking directly at a welding arc is like looking directly at the sun
at high noon and it's the reason why arc welders need to wear very
dark, protective eye gear. I doubt that we can find any data regarding
your query.

seeker4444-ga:

There are a lot of websites that talk about eye damage due to direct
viewing/exposure to actual arc welding. This damage is the result of
both the high intensity of light, and the UV radiation emitted by the
arc welding process. Here's one website that discusses this:

http://www.thefabricator.com/xp/Fabricator/Articles/Welding/Weld03/02web577.xml

When you watch arc-welding on TV, though, it's key to note that the TV
cameras and your TV cannot capture and transmit the high levels of UV
radiation, and the extreme intensity of the light emitted. So, if your
eyes are 'normal', and you can stare at a completely white screen
without pain, then seeing the image of an arc will not cause you any
serious damage. Of course, watching such shows in an
otherwise-completely-dark room may still hurt your eyes, but not
irreparably. This is simply because whenever the TV camera is looking
at an arc, it will automatically adjust its brightness to prevent the
whole image from being washed out. This causes the resulting image on
your screen to darken with the exception of the arc itself. If you are
in a dark room, where your eyes have already adjusted to the low level
of lighting by opening up your pupils, then they are suddenly
subjected to a bright, near-point-source light coming from the TV, you
will experience a short momentary discomfort before your eyes
readjust. Length of time for this adjustment depends on your level of
intoxication at the time. :)

By the way, I love those shows too! Not for the welding... for the
bizarreness of the contraptions that they build.

Regards,

aht-ga
Google Answers Researcher

It is safe.

Think of the arc generated while welding as a "mini sun" (this is why
many welders have over-tanned fore-arms if they don't wear protective
long sleves, and while there is visable light (the white/blue) light
you see, the real danger is in the light you can't see which is the UV
light.  It is this spectrum of light that causes your skin to tan but
also causes cataracts with sun exposure and in welding causes burns to
the skin and to the eyes (most welders have a flashburn story or two
about damage to their eyes).  So, if there is anyone that should
worry, it should be the camera men and worse yet the guys that
weld/tact without a helment on.  But since most cameras have UV
filters and your TV isn't exactly tuned for production of UV light,
none of it is ever going to make it to you.  Thus, it is perfectly
safe for you to sit in your house and watch welding directly.