As incongruous as it may sound, a Colorado company has developed glow-in-the-dark lamps.

The “Glow-lux” fluorescent tubes from American Environmental Products shine normally when plugged in. When they are turned off or the power goes out, they glow with a dim, eery blue-green light. For an hour, that glow is strong enough to be useful as emergency lighting.

The inventor, Charles Bolta, initially developed the tubes for nuclear submarines. Now he is trying to interest the government in installing the lights in subways, embassies and other potential targets for terrorists.

Bolta says the tubes, like the one above, are being tested at the Pentagon and the Coast Guard headquarters in Washington, D.C., as well as the USS Alabama submarine.

The lights, however, cost five times as much as regular fluorescent tubes.

Even if the tubes are shattered by an explosion, the shards still will provide light, Bolta says. The company also has developed a more expensive, shatterproof version strong enough to withstand the blow of a hammer.