Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs: A New Cancer Risk in Your Home

[MachineGhost]

The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) mandates the phase-out of incandescent light bulbs, and favors energy-efficient compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs.

Sounds good—until you realize that CFL bulbs contain mercury, and mercury poses a significant cancer risk. A new study shows that CFL bulbs also emit high levels of ultraviolet radiation—specifically, UVC and UVA rays. In fact, the UV rays are so strong that they can actually burn skin and skin cells. Experts say the radiation could initiate cell death and cause skin cancer in its deadliest form—melanoma.

In every bulb the researchers tested, they found that the protective phosphor coating of the light bulb was cracked, allowing dangerous UV rays to escape. Healthy skin cells exposed to CFLs showed a decrease in their proliferation rate, an increase in the production of reactive oxygen species, and a decrease in ability to contract collagen.

On top of that, it’s a sad fact of life that light bulbs break. How do you clean up the mercury after a bulb breaks? The Institute for Molecular and Nanoscale Innovation measured the release of mercury vapor from broken bulbs. They recorded concentrations near the bulb of up to 800 mcg/m3, which is eight times the average eight-hour occupational exposure limit allowed by OSHA (100 mcg/m3).

Even more shocking, the recommended limit for children is a mere 0.2 mcg/m3. A child exposed to a broken CFL bulb will receive eight thousand times the recommended amount of mercury vapor!

http://www.anh-usa.org/compact-fluoresc ... your-home/

[dualstow]

I'm pretty sure that's what's sitting behind me, compact fl., ever since my full spectrum lamp stopped functioning.
Oh well, at least most of the house is lit by skylights and windows.
Few things are more relaxing than shaving under a bright skylight.

[Pointedstick]

I've always wondered what the effect was if the light was filtered through other surfaces or bounced off walls. I don't think we have any uncovered CFLs.

Still, that sucks. Time to upgrade to LEDs, I guess.

[annieB]

Just bought some LED flashlights at Costco.
Stunning increase in quality over conventional flashlights.
Cheap too...

[dualstow]

Does anyone know anything about the lights for seasonal affective disorder (SAD). I don't have SAD. In fact, I suffer from GLAD* most days, and the SAD therapy lights I just looked up don't seem to mention compact fluorescent. Many claim to filter out harmful UV rays. I wonder if anyone uses these to light up part of a dark room.


*I know, that sounds very Stuart Smalley.

[pumpkin]

I know someone who uses a light therapy lamp.  It uses flourescent tubes, not CFL's, but I think any flourescent bulb contains Hg.  The light is supposed to be full-spectrum and UV blocked.  It has a mirror behind the bulbs to focus the light on the person recieving treatment.  You're supposed to sit right in front of it at the right time of day and for a certain duration to get the desired benefit.

Using it for general lighting would be rather expensive (the lamps are rather pricey) and because of the beam focusing, it's very directional.

I'd stock up on incandescents until the price of LED bulbs come down (last time I looked in a big-box store they were about $12 each).

[dualstow]

Thanks, Pumpkin. Yeah, I just saw some pictures of the light right up in the woman's face at Amazon. Her poor husband is reading a newspaper in the dark in the background.

[MachineGhost]

Does anyone know anything about the lights for seasonal affective disorder (SAD). I don't have SAD. In fact, I suffer from GLAD* most days, and the SAD therapy lights I just looked up don't seem to mention compact fluorescent. Many claim to filter out harmful UV rays. I wonder if anyone uses these to light up part of a dark room.

As far as I know, they are just full spectrum lightbulbs.  The blue wavelength seems to be what is helpful for SAD which you could say is due to melatonin not being completely shut of and insufficient Vitamin D (which does require UV).  But with news of CFLs not actually shielding UV rays, I'd tread carefully.  I use full spectrum CFL bulbs from http://www.bluemaxlighting.com/

[dualstow]

As far as I know, they are just full spectrum lightbulbs.  The blue wavelength seems to be what is helpful for SAD which you could say is due to melatonin not being completely shut of and insufficient Vitamin D (which does require UV).  But with news of CFLs not actually shielding UV rays, I'd tread carefully.  I use full spectrum CFL bulbs from http://www.bluemaxlighting.com/

So CF is dangerous because it lets harmful UV rays escape (original post), but
we need UV to activate vitamin D.
Sounds like we need a combination. Well, I spend a good part of my time indoors under a skylight, and I suppose the UVs come right in through that. I should really turn off the CF in my office and replace the broken full spectrum lamp.

Someday, MG, you're going to post on the dangers of staring at a computer monitor all day, and that is going to scare me.

[AgAuMoney]

I just saw some pictures of the light right up in the woman's face at Amazon. Her poor husband is reading a newspaper in the dark in the background.

Probably the husband was not as much in the dark as it appeared.

The camera typically does not have near as much dynamic range as the human eye.  So when taking the picture, everything was darked so that the bright around the woman would not overwhelm the sensor.

[dualstow]

Could be, AgAu. I figured that maybe they darkened it just to emphasize the light and its range for the photo.
Still, I couldn't help but think the poor schmuck's reading in the dark.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/7 ... L1500_.jpg
At least he's not overdosing on UV rays.

[AgAuMoney]

That little light in the picture looks like LEDs to me.  Did they say it was fluorescent?

I quite like the LED bulbs I've tried so far.

I've bought 3 at a time a few times over the past about 3 years.  I usually buy cheap but a somewhat known brand or name (not the cheapest I could find direct from Hong Kong or Taiwan).  I try to stay under $20 per bulb, last sets under $15 (800 lumen) and $10 (450 lumen).

A few months ago I bought 3x UtilTech 450 lumen from Lowes for $10.  They were rated 1 or maybe just 1/2 watt better than the similar EcoTech at Home Depot, using "only" 7.5w.

I've been watching for a deal since then, and noticed that the Depot had replaced their EcoTech with a new 6w for 450 lumen model.  Same price as the previous generation, but with a new, sleeker and smaller heat sink made possible by the 25% reduction in power for the same light specifications.  I wonder what they are like...

I was planning to stop and buy some this week, but Monday night I heard that Cree was introducing a new LED bulb.  Cree has been making LEDs since the 1980's and LED fixtures for a decade or more, but targeting commercial customers.  This standard form factor bulb would be their first "consumer" product.

Come to find out, the new Cree bulb will be at Home Depot in a couple of weeks, priced similar to the EcoTech, and with very similar specs.  450 lumen for 6 watts at 2700K instead of 3000K ($10).  And 800 lumen for 9.5w at 2700k($13), or 9w at 5000k ($14).  Sounds like good stuff.  Looks even better.  The heatsink is a little collar right at the base and the bulb looks almost incandescent.  It's supposed to provide nearly the same light pattern as an incandescent.  I guess I'll wait a bit...

Cree has some amazing products.  Maybe as they are more vertically integrated we'll get newer technology sooner in LED bulbs.

About a year ago Cree started mass producing LEDs at 170 lumens per watt.  In other words, 3w worth of those would be a 450 lumen bulb.  Probably we'll see that in a year or two.  2 years before that, breaking 100 lumens per watt was news.  That general efficiency is what we are starting to see in LED bulbs now.

Cree just last month announced a 270 lumen per watt LED.  3-4 years from now maybe we'll see 2w for a 450-500 lumen bulb?  It was only 2-3 years ago when they thought white LED efficiency had a theoretical maximum of about 230 maybe 240 lumens per watt.  Now they have beat that old theoretical max.  What next?

[MachineGhost]

Aren't these lumens rather low compared to a traditional 60, 100 or 150 watt incadescent?

[AgAuMoney]

Aren't these lumens rather low compared to a traditional 60, 100 or 150 watt incadescent?

A 40w incandescent is typically about 450 lumens.

60w about 800.

100w about 1600.

I don't know 150w off the top of my head.

One thing to realize, is that lumens are measured using an integrating sphere.  This works well for a candle flame on a taper, or a typical incandescent bulb.  But most of the current LED bulbs are somewhat to very directional.  Thus while a 40w incandescent radiates almost a 360d sphere, a typical replacement LED bulb only radiates 160-180d.  Some of the more expensive have a more full sphere, but much more $$.

(to visualize the pattern degrees, imagine the base of the lamp on the center of a clock with the top of the bulb on the 12, the light pattern measures from below that center contact on the base toward the 6, out the left toward the 9, around the top, down the right toward the 3, back down to the 6.  180d would be radiating from 9 to 3.  There are 30d per division so a 160d pattern is only about 2 minutes above 9 and 3.)

Even if you could not use an incandescent reflector, you may be able to use an LED bulb with a 180d beam pattern.  A typical incandescent reflector bulb is considerably more narrow than 180d. Even a "floodlight" version is typically less than 120d and often 60d (11 to 1) or less.  Spotlights are very narrow beam, e.g. 10-20d (or a few minutes either side of 12).

If appropriate for your application, going from a typical incandescent to a directional bulb allows a corresponding reduction in overall lumens as the provided lumens are all being put directly to use.  For example, in a desk task/reading lamp.

Edit: By the way, it is really almost useless to measure light output by watts of power input.  Even changing to a tungsten halogen bulb instead of  the normal tungsten nitrogen will considerably increase the light output for a given power input.  The correct model is to measure light in lumens, and if you need more or less light, buy one with more or less lumens.

[WildAboutHarry]

We have a row of 5 G-30 bulbs across the family room ceiling.  Replaced incandescent with CFL.  Burned through at least 5 CFLs in a very short time (months, probably under warranty, but not worth the hassle).

Replaced with LED G-30 style bulbs.  Great, but expensive, light.  So far, so good.