# Protect from light

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protect-from-light/463651>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 15, 2008, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protect-from-light/463651 "2008-09-15T02:31:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protect-from-light/463651/1 "2008-09-15T02:31:05Z")

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It’s a medication - albuterol sulfate, an inhalation solution - and that’s all it said on the package.

I’ve seen similar wording on other meds, and even the pharamacist didn’t know if was just sunlight and/or artificial light of some kind.

Any suggestions?

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**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protect-from-light/463651/2 "2008-09-15T02:50:50Z")

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[MSDS:](http://74.125.45.104/search?q=cache:dzHamfPS_g8J:www.msds-gsk.com/1265980a.pdf+albuterol+photodegradation&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=6&gl=us&client=firefox-a)

> [@](#):
>
> **Photolysis**  
> This material contains an active pharmaceutical ingredient that is unlikely to  
> undergo photodegradation.  
> UV/Visible Spectrum: 225 nm

So absorption is in the ultraviolet.  
Despite the MSDS, [the stuff does photolyze](http://www.aapspharmsci.org/abstracts/AM_1999/1788.htm) The mercury vapor lamp used in the linked study is consistant with strong UV being the problem.  
I’d keep it out of the sun, and away from strong fluorescent lights.

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**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protect-from-light/463651/3 "2008-09-15T03:04:56Z")

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It seems like good advice for any medication. I don’t know any complex organic molecules that wont photolyze at all under UV.

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**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protect-from-light/463651/4 "2008-09-15T03:06:59Z")

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Thank you both. I’ll do as you reommend.