Let there be Light... or... Death?
'Stay a safe distance away from screw-in fluorescent bulbs'
Nov. 25, 2009
Judy Siegel-Itzkovich , THE JERUSALEM POST
The most popular types of screw-in, energy-saving fluorescent light bulbs should
not - as an "interim precautionary measure" - be closer than 30 centimeters from
the body for more than one hour per day, the Health Ministry recommended on
Tuesday.
In addition, there are some 1,000 Israelis with the autoimmune disease lupus
erythematosus who are very sensitive to natural ultraviolet (UV) light from both
the sun and screw-in fluorescent bulbs, and should not use these bulbs at all,
just to be safe. However, encapsulated "single envelope" screw-in fluorescent
bulbs, which resemble a mushroom and do not consist of coils, can be used freely
without restriction.
The ministry based its recommendations on the UK Health Protection Agency, which
has studied the matter seriously and issued precautionary advice a year ago.
It said that compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) can emit both the B and A type of
ultraviolet light, which when above a certain limit can trigger melanoma skin
cancer as well as basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma of the skin; melanoma
has higher death rates than the other types.
The fact that UVA and UVB emitted by standard CFLs can pose a health danger has
been known for a decade, but environmental health agencies and experts have not
issued official recommendations until recently.
In addition to the skin cancer threat from close and frequent exposure, the
non-encapsulated bulbs vibrate at 100 Hz, which may cause over sensitivity in
the side field of vision of the eye in a small fraction of people who look
directly at them, the ministry said.
The US Food and Drug Administration has mentioned the "need for
attention" to the bulbs, but it has not issued an official position or adopted
the British guidelines. The European Union has also "discussed" the issue in its
papers, but has not made any recommendations.
The ministry concluded that just in case, people with lupus should not use or
look at non-encapsulated CFLs and that everyone else who is exposed to them for
more than one hour in 24 hours should switch to encapsulated ones or stay a
minimum of 30 cm. away from the conventional ones.
This article can also be read at
http://www.jpost.com
/servlet/Satellite?cid=1259010973330&pagename=JPArticle%2FShowFull
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Isn't that awesome? The US FDA mentioned that the bulbs "need attention". I must have missed that memo. I thought the keratoses and skin cancers the doctor has been carving off of my hide were caused by allergies to cats. I did see the memo about if you break one of these little buggers, you need to report it to the Environmental Protective Administration so they could send in a HazMat team to decontaminate the mercury particles out of your home. I've also figured out that the 100Hz flicker has something to do with my failing eyesight. We're green though; got one of these suckers in every socket in the house. The savings should pay for the bulb cost in 13 - 14 years if we live that long.