Can The Type Of Lighting Currently Being Used In My Home Be Harmful To My Health?
Lighting is just as much about having spaces properly lit as it is about aesthetics and what appeals to one person, may not to another. But what about it's biological interaction with the human body?
Florescent Lighting
In 1856 Heinrich Geissler, a German glassblower developed the Geissler tube, which was the first attempt at a florescent lighting tube. It was actually this same line or research, specifically observation of cathode rays in vacuum tubes, that lead Wilhelm Roentgen to discover X-rays in 1895, followed by English physicist, Sir Joseph Thomson to discover and identify the electron in 1897.
So while you may detest their now bulky appearance and harsh light, it was research into florescent lighting that ultimately culminated in you being able to see if you actually broke that ankle or just sprained it. And how about the electron, while yes, I'll be the first to admit they are a bit negative in character, but ask any proton, they'll tell you they're quite attractive. I digress; but this research all led to the development of quantum mechanics, particle accelerators, atomic energy, particle beams, electron microscopes, etc.
In 1934, Arthur Compton, physicist and GE consultant, successfully experimented with fluorescent lighting at General Electric Co., Ltd. (unrelated to General Electric in the US) in Great Britain. In response to this report, George E. Inman built a prototype fluorescent lamp in 1934 at General Electric’s Nela Park engineering laboratory in Ohio.
GE and Westinghouse showed off the new lights at exhibitions at the New York World’s Fair and San Francisco's Golden Gate International Exposition.. Fluorescent lighting systems spread rapidly during World War II due to demand for effective and economical lighting. By 1951 in the US, more fluorescent lamps were produced than incandescent.
Fluorescent bulbs use about a 1/4 of the energy of a traditional incandescent light bulb, so they were revolutionary for their time.
The fluorescent Light
Now The Bad Stuff
Fluorescent lamps with magnetic ballasts flicker at a imperceptible frequency. Which is documented to be problematic for anyone with autism, epilepsy, lupus, chronic fatigue syndrome, Lyme disease and vertigo, to name a few. More recent fluorescent lights without magnetic ballasts have essentially eliminated this issue thankfully.
Some fluorescent lamps emit ultraviolet radiation, in fact ultraviolet radiation emitted by fluorescent lighting can increase an individual's exposure to carcinogenic radiation by 10 to 30 percent per year Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) discovered in their 2008 research.
In a study in New South Wales, Australia, exposure to fluorescent light at work was associated with doubling melanoma risk.
The World Health Organization classifies Electronic and Magnetic Fields (EMFs), such as those produced by some fluorescent lights, as Class 2b, possibly carcinogenic.
There is the other issue that fluorescent bulbs contain mercury, which is extremely toxic. Per the EPA, a compact fluorescent bulb contains 1% of the amount of mercury as found in a traditional mercury thermometer.
CFL
A modern type of fluorescent bulb, the CFL (Compact Fluorescent Light), like other fluorescent bulbs, contains toxic mercury. Many countries have banned the disposal of CFLs together with regular garbage. Instead they have set up special collection systems along with other hazardous waste.
Energy and Saving Money
LED bulbs use about 1/6th of the energy of incandescent ones, last about 24 times as long, are dim-able and come in every spectrum of colour, not just stark white, but other hues like warm white too. They also don't have the health risks associated with florescent lights.
The Solution
We suggest replacing any florescent fixtures with updated ones. Recessed lighting is a great way to go in full sized rooms and kitchens as they don't intrude on the size of the room and provide great coverage and work well with LED bulbs.
We just removed a florescent kitchen light fixture in a house in Jester Estate and then installed 31 recessed lights with LEDs and it made such a difference, turning a slightly dull house into a bright cheerful place to be. Plus I stopped tripping over as many things.
I hope this was helpful!