Activist Post
Individuals are drawn to compact fluorescent bulbs due to their environmentally-friendly label, but anyone who has really looked into these incandescent alternatives knows of the numerous health and environmental dangers of CFL bulbs.
A recent study sheds light on just one such concern associated with the ‘green’ CFL bulbs, showing how they are capable of actually frying your skin with UVA radiation.
Following a study in Europe examining the effects of CFL bulbs on the skin, researchers from Stony Brook University in New York conducted a similar study to examine the bulbs’ impact on human skin cells. For the study, the researchers purchased CFL bulb from various locations, and then measured the amount of UV radiation emissions. What they found in every single one of the bulbs studied was “significant levels of UVC and UVA” which was a result of cracks that were present in the coating on the bulbs.
After studying the effects of these emissions on human skin cells, they discovered that healthy skin cells experienced the same damage you would find with ultraviolet radiation.
Similar tests were also conducted using incandescent light bulbs of the same intensity along with the implementation of UV-absorbing Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles, which are found within many personal care products.
While the incandescent light bulbs had no negative effect on healthy skin cells, the researchers couldn’t say the same for CFL bulbs. Professor Rafailovich recounts:
Our study revealed that the response of healthy skin cells to UV emitted from CFL bulbs is consistent with damage from ultraviolet radiation…Skin cell damage was further enhanced when low dosages of TiO2 nanoparticles were introduced to the skin cells prior to exposure.
Despite their large energy savings, consumers should be careful when using compact fluorescent light bulbs…Our research shows that it is best to avoid using them at close distances and that they are safest when placed behind an additional glass cover.This, of course, isn’t the only issue with compact fluorescent bulbs. In addition to having a potential negative impact on your skin, these bulbs emit toxic chemicals. In fact, only months after it was found that energy saving fluorescent bulbs release carcinogenic chemicals into the air, a new study has found that these harmful chemicals are continually released from the bulbs over a period of weeks to months.
In addition to releasing these cancer-causing chemicals, which are far beyond the “safe” level set by the EPA, these bulbs also release levels of mercury which also exceed the “safe” levels for humans.
Additional Sources:
Stony Brook University
Scientific Committees
Explore More:
Another Study Finds Mercury in Fluorescent Bulbs a Health Risk
Don’t Want Mercury-Laden Bulbs? New “Eco-Safe” Light Bulbs to Cost $50
Choose Between Carcinogenic Light Bulbs or Excessive Prices
Mercury Pandemic: Avoiding Toxic Levels of Daily Exposure
Skin Whitening Cream Often Contains Toxic Mercury
Mercury and Mega-Toxins Found in Certain Body Care Products
This article first appeared at Natural Society, an excellent resource for health news and vaccine information.
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18 comments:
So folks, please don't hesitate to send those precious "green" CFLs to David Suzuki. Sorry, I can't seem to find his mailing address in my notebook but hey, why not?
Depopulation baby, coming from all sides. Your fridge, your water and your air. The Grand Fkkks left no grave stone unturned.
The old light bulbs had superior lighting anyway. I have a few of these new pieces of crap in a row of spotlights in my dining room and they yellow the place out atrociously; even if the bulb says, "bright white" and is the highest watt available.
Wonderful, every time I turn on my lights in the house I'll remember that I am also being exposed to mercury. Spectacular.
This became a workplace issue, one where common sense won out over corporate right wing stupidity.
Force the issue at your workplace, you might be pleasantly surprised.
Crap. I've replaced most of the bulbs in the house for the $ savings, which is pretty substantial by the end of the month. But not at the expense of our health! I know where I'm going after church today. Hello Home Depot! I need a buttload of bulbs! Btw, as an add on, cfl bulbs also put out a VERY strong radio frequency. So strong in fact, that the lamp in the bedroom must be turned off if we want to listen to the clock/radio. On, it's nothing but static coming out of the speaker. Off, instant classic rock all the way. Try it yourself. Constant exposure to rf can't be good for you either!
When I put one of these CFL bulbs in a floor lamp next to where my son sleeps on the couch he complained he didn't feel well. I changed the bulb back to a normal light bulb and now he sleeps just fine again. I never told him about ANY ill effects of those bulbs either - he told me how he didn't feel well. He likes to sleep on the couch with the light on vs off so I thought to save some money just use a CFL bulb. WRONG. I only have these bulbs in light sockets outside my home in the yard light and porch lights. For what little money I save the health problems are just not worth it. And as far as burning on and on for years - not true - try months. They only last a tad longer than the regular bulbs. I have a light over my stove that has had CFL bulbs AND regular bulbs burning 24/7 as a nightlight in the kitchen. The CFL's maybe last a month more than the regular bulb but definitely NOT YEARS as they claim. False advertising for sure. I have dumped all those expensive bulbs for the regular bulbs. Wonder who's bright idea it was to use up all the mercury on the planet making these toxic bulbs? I Wish the LED lights didn't cost so much and were brighter. I'd buy them in a heartbeat but NOT at no $10 a bulb thank you.
I have always disliked these cfl bulbs. Thought the emitted light ugly and cold. The only one I have is in our outdoor light and turn it off as soon as everyone is home for the night.
I'm one of those folks who bought packages of the 100 watt incandescent bulbs every time I went to the store when the story was that they would be disappearing soon. I may start doing that again anyway ....
Break a CFL bulb in your house, and you can kiss your house goodbye, as it gets bulldozed and thrown right into the landfill!
Because there's no level of mercury that is safe for the human organism, eventually, after enough homes are statistically infected with mercury from broken bulbs, the government will come out with regulations regarding such.
If you want to sell your house, you will have to first prove, at your expense, that it is "mercury free". If not, your house will be condemned, until it is either "cleaned" by a government approved home hazmat cleaning company at the cost of $thousands, or torn down and thrown into the landfill at the cost of more $thousands.
If thrown into the landfill, you will still owe on the mortgage.
No matter how you look at CFLs, if you use them, you're SCREWED!
So, DON'T USE CFLs!!!
Imagine the thousands upon thousands of homes across America that will become condemned! And the thousands upon thousands of homeowners who will become homeless!
All because of the CFL bulb!
No need to go back to incandescent bulbs. Replace your CFLs with LED "bulbs". They are more expensive but last longer and use way less power than even CFLs.
When they do go out, and if they go out without breaking seals, there is still one more problem.
You have
A Blue Can Glass Paper Aluminum
A Green Can Garbage
A Green Can Yard Waste
Your bulb goes in the INVISIBLE can
just like the invisible can for OIL
and Batteries.
Oh yes let's not forget the stored too long Lawnmower gas with the corn / water in it now rendering it useless and toxic.
It's ironic the city council is a ICLEI member of the UN / Agenda 21 / Green / Global Warming, yet the worst stuff still has no home, and indeed has streaks of insanity built in to it.
Does anyone know if the standard long flourescent ceiling bulbs also emit toxic chemicals?
I thought I was doing the right thing to save money on electricity in my home and replaced all of the regular bulbs with CFL's. In my home there is a ceiling fan above the work area where our computer is located. This fan received 4 light bulbs as it is the 4 light type. I loosened three because the light from the other sockets was not needed. Since this is the computer area, it receives quite a lot of use, in the hours per day range. About 3 to 4 months after having installed these CFL's, I started noticing that my neck was really stiff on one side, I thought it was from excercising or sleeping on it wrong, but the problem not only persisted, in became worse and worse, to the point I could hardly move it. After seeing an article on Rense.com of the problems associated with CFL bulbs, I replaced the bulbs in the house, including those above the computer. In one week, my neck began to hurt less. Now, 6 months later, I have no neck pain at all.
One of these "environmentally friendly" CFL bulbs had a meltdown at my house. The tar, or whatever it is in the transformer part almost caught fire and smoked up my whole place. The smoke was so acrid it burned my eyes and lungs and stunk the place up for days!
Please see my upload of the CBC report here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yip-VlBsYjM
The implicit danger of CFCs is that these do NOT emit CO2, a gas that has been proven beneficial to GREEN plants, which in-turn emit oxygen. If we take the so-called "global warming environmentalist" at their word we must assume that green plants will also be banned/taxed on the basis of their "oxygen footprint."
I bought ONE these bulbs - very poor light and they gave me a headache. I have not used them since and have absolutely no plans to purchase them again.
The disposal of these bulbs is even more of a problem. Not very many people are going to properly dispose these bulbs and mercury will be everywhere. The one bulb I purchased is still sitting in my bin because I didn't want to throw it out in the regular garbage.
Sadly, these are pushed as GREEN when they are nothing but poison!
The ST of WI weatherization program replaced all our incandescent bulbs with CFL bulbs. After 6 months of electric usage monitoring, there is no savings. And, I have developed a respiratory problem since they went in. Today, they all come out and the old bulbs go back in. The Energy Independence and Security Act, set energy-efficiency standards for light bulbs that will come fully into effect in 2012. The law will require light bulbs to use 25-30 percent less power than incandescent use today. Good luck at recycling CFL bulbs, they contain mercury and cannot be tossed in your weekly garbage.
A lot more about the Stony Brook study here, including the previous similar EU, UK and Canada studies, spectral diagrams of CFL, LED and incandescents and UV information, and associated skin disorders
CFL study in a wider perspective
- including why light bulb regulations don't make sense, even to save energy, extensively referenced on the same site
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