View Full Version : Arghh, fluorescent lights!
I can't stand them! Whenever I'm exposed to them I end up getting headaches and start feeling as if my eyes weighed a ton. But in a world in which classes and workplaces are dominated by these horrific conceptions, what can a poor fellow like myself do?
russ_watters
Mar10-08, 05:58 PM
Buy fluorescent lamps with electronic ballasts....
[compact fluorescents also don't flicker]
Its the constant humming that gets me.
Is it the spectrum or the flicker that bothers you? If the former, tinted glasses might help. I can't see the flicker myself, but some people can and it can be a pest.
edit: Sorry, I had a client come in while I was composing this, so I missed posts 2 & 3 until now. I've never heard one hum, but it can't just be a bad ballast if it happens in different places. Other than a masking noise such as music or a desk fan, I can't think of a way to block it without the discomfort of earplugs.
At my old company, they slipped shades over the bulbs when requested (I did). At my current company, they're cheap, so they just remove the lights over my office space. The lights hurt my eyes.
Going to class though, you won't have that control.
Poop-Loops
Mar10-08, 08:49 PM
I say if it doesn't oscillate at 60hz, then it's not REAL light.
According to this article cool white fluorescents take the Feng out of your Shui
Feng Shui is all about energy, and light is the strongest manifestation of it. Your body reacts to everything around you, and you either get nourished or drained by the energy that surrounds you.
“Malillumination” is the term coined by Dr. John Ott, a pioneer light researcher, to describe sunlight deficiency and the negative, harmful effects of artificial pink or cool-white fluorescent lighting on human's behaviour, learning and health.
Do you know that the use of cool-white fluorescent lights has been legally banned in Germany at a Federal level? I strongly encourage you to become aware of the quality of light in your environment and its influence on your health and well-being.
http://fengshui.about.com/od/thebasics/qt/light.htm
For many years I have been an advocate of putting more natural full spectrum lighting in classrooms.
According to this article cool white fluorescents take the Feng out of your Shui
http://fengshui.about.com/od/thebasics/qt/light.htm
For many years I have been an advocate of putting more natural full spectrum lighting in classrooms.That's the opposite of my problem, lights that are too bright make me and other's ill. Some nut bought into that Feng Shui crap and put in high powered lights and within days people were going home sick and they had to remove the brighter lights. Cost the company a fortune.
That's the opposite of my problem, lights that are too bright make me and other's ill. Some nut bought into that Feng Shui crap and put in high powered lights and within days people were going home sick and they had to remove the brighter lights. Cost the company a fortune.
They do some really stupid things with lighting in businesses and offices. I wasn't advocating brighter lights in classrooms, just more full spectrum light.
You can look at a paint sample inside of a store, or the color of anything for that matter, then take it outside and it looks totally different.
Full-spectrum bothers me. I'm severely photophobic; I can't go outdoors in daylight without my dark glasses. Incandescent or regular fluorescent bulbs are fine, but I have to put my glasses back on for the FS ones. Since my glasses are triggered by near-UV, I must assume that FS bulbs put out more of that.
Full-spectrum bothers me. I'm severely photophobic; I can't go outdoors in daylight without my dark glasses. Incandescent or regular fluorescent bulbs are fine, but I have to put my glasses back on for the FS ones. Since my glasses are triggered by near-UV, I must assume that FS bulbs put out more of that.
Hi Danger... I often questioned the use of florescent tubes in hospitals. They're said to deplete vitamin A and as is noted here they also irritate people's brains and eyeballs. Some people with severe epilepsy will go into episodes because of the flicker as well.
http://www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/epilepsy_reflex
When I suggested one of the cancer clinics I worked with use full spectrum lighting they thought about it for a few minutes... just long enough to find out each tube costs 6 bucks as opposed to the $1.50 per regular tube. No full spectrum lighting in hospitals or clinics. I would personally think quality of light would go hand in hand with quality care and heath recovery would trump cost recovery.... no.
There's a movement to replace the lighting in prisons in the UK because of the complaints of staff and inmates. Apparently, florescent lighting was never meant for general use and was more for utilitarian practicality.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2002/sep/26/publicvoices
Apparently there is also evidence of ocular damage caused by the tubes...
http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:a8lUlPLTMJ4J:www.naasln.org/documents/articles/kitchel_fluorescent_light.pdf+effects+of+fluoresce nt+lighting&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=8&gl=ca
As convenient as they are they are like most other conveniences, fast, cheap and harmful to health and environment... (loaded with mercury)
http://www.mercuryrecycling.co.uk/mercury.htm
Well, it's settled then... we should go back to gaslamps. Not only do they not hum, but they're damned handy when you can't find your lighter.
I really don't have time to read any links right now, Baywax (I'm just up for my midnight snack of rum and a smoke), but I'll sure take a look at them tomorrow.
One thing that just occurred to me, though, which might or might not be covered by your post, is whether or not FS lights screw up circadian rhythms more than other types.
Moonbear
Mar11-08, 06:38 AM
One thing that just occurred to me, though, which might or might not be covered by your post, is whether or not FS lights screw up circadian rhythms more than other types.
No reason to think so. Actually, when people experience disorders associated with circadian or seasonal rhythms, a simple treatment is daytime exposure to full-spectrum lighting (usually in a light box, not to illuminate an entire building).
There really shouldn't be a noticeable flicker to fluorescent lighting either, though. That's usually noticeable when the tubes or ballast is going bad. Of course, the larger a room and the more lights, the more likely that one somewhere will be going bad when you're in there. The best office I ever had had a combination of lighting...a big window that most of the time was all the light I needed, a main fluorescent light bright enough to illuminate the room well (insufficient lighting is annoying no matter what kind of bulbs you use), and a row of incandescent high hats that were meant as an accent, but were good for balancing the spectrum (some nights, I would just turn on the incandescent lights...there was no need for it to be brighter if the spectrum quality is better). And I had a really nice desk lamp that was good for task lighting. Again, some nights, if everything I was doing in the office was on the computer, I would just use the desk light rather than overhead lighting.
Most of the classrooms I teach in do not have fluorescent lights, because the lights are designed to dim at different levels throughout the room (multiple switches) in order to adjust the lighting appropriately for viewing slides (sometimes you want it dark over the screen at the front of the room, but a spot light on the lectern, and lights brighter in the back for the students to see well enough to take notes).
Jimmy Snyder
Mar11-08, 10:36 AM
All my life I've heard people complain about flourescent lights. But I can't even tell the difference whether the lights in a room are incandescent or flourescent. Of course public buildings tend to be lit with flourescent and residential with incandescent, but unless I look directly at the source, I can't tell for sure. I'm told that conversion to flourescent would have a dramatic effect on global temperature. What's more, the bulb above my front door is a pain to change. So I went with flourescent for that light. The bulb lasts longer so I don't have to change it as often. In theory. In fact, I tried it three times and the bulbs never lasted longer than a day. Either there is a need to retrofit sockets, or there is a serious QC problem with the bulbs themselves. Any ideas?
Poop-Loops
Mar11-08, 12:07 PM
I can't say for certain, but I'm thinking it's not fluorescent lights per se causing people to explode, but more the mood they illicit. Kind of mechanical, cold, unwelcoming. So if you have to spend a lot of time in that kind of place, you might get sick of it, and literally get sick.
I worked in a small fitness store for about a year, all fluorescent lights, and I never had any problems with it. My room has compact fluorescent bulbs and I'm fine with it.
I should add, though, that I've never had the humming from them. Only the ones in my garage hum, because my garage is a POS. Yeah, it's annoying to spend extended amounts of time there because the humming drives me mad, but that's not the fault of the bulbs, but err... the thing they are connected to, whatever it's called.
New thing I heard on NPR is that LED's are really getting up there in luminescence, so they might be viable light sources in the near future. Obvious plus is that they last a lot longer than anything else we have right now.
General Electric is in the process of developing a new high efficiency version of incandescent lighting.
http://www.genewscenter.com/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=1260&NewsAreaID=2&MenuSearchCategoryID=7
The big box stores are now selling fluorescent bulbs made in China. I bought a carton of four of the Chinese compact bulbs at home depot,(that is all the had available), and two of them have already quit working.
No reason to think so. Actually, when people experience disorders associated with circadian or seasonal rhythms, a simple treatment is daytime exposure to full-spectrum lighting (usually in a light box, not to illuminate an entire building).
That's actually what I was referring to, but backwards. I was wondering about people who work under FS at night maybe losing more sense of day-and-night than others. You're talking about deprogramming someone who is off kilter; I'm thinking of reprogramming one who isn't.
In fact, I tried it three times and the bulbs never lasted longer than a day.
That might be due to the type of bulb. All of the first couple of years that I picked one up here and there to replace a burned-out incandescent, the packages stated that they could be used only in 'stand-up' sockets such as a table lamp. They weren't to be used in drop fixtures or side-mounts. I'm guessing that it had something to do with heat build-up in the base. I went ahead and put them in open (unshaded) ceiling sockets anyhow and they're still going 10 years later.
Moonbear
Mar11-08, 08:00 PM
What's more, the bulb above my front door is a pain to change. So I went with flourescent for that light. The bulb lasts longer so I don't have to change it as often. In theory. In fact, I tried it three times and the bulbs never lasted longer than a day. Either there is a need to retrofit sockets, or there is a serious QC problem with the bulbs themselves. Any ideas?
I've never had any luck with them either...and they're awfully expensive to burn out so fast. I don't like them for rooms where I need to do things like read or fine detail work, but thought I would put them in places like a hall and laundry room, where I just need them to keep from bumping into things, but they turned out to be a collossal waste of money for me.
Some flourescent bulbs won't work with electronic timers or photo cells.
It should state on the package if they are compatable.
I've never had any luck with them either...and they're awfully expensive to burn out so fast. I don't like them for rooms where I need to do things like read or fine detail work, but thought I would put them in places like a hall and laundry room, where I just need them to keep from bumping into things, but they turned out to be a collossal waste of money for me.Really? I put them in all of my outdoor lighting fixtures and places like ceiling fans and 12' ceilings where I don't want to keep climbing, and going on 10 years, I've never had to replace a single one. Of course I used brand names like GE and Sylvania. These bulbs cost me like $12 a piece, but well worth it.
Perhaps the newer ones are built to die quicker, I mean how can you make money on lightbulbs that last 15-20 years? Those first bulbs may be things of the past.
russ_watters
Mar11-08, 09:18 PM
I only have one in an outdoor fixture and it hasn't been through a summer yet, so we'll see. But yes, they can be temperature sensitive.
I have two in recessed downlights, but they are designed for that application, so no problems. And other than one downstairs bathroom, all of the lights in my house are CF. I had one that was humming right out of the box (I kept it, but on a fixture I don't use much), but the other dozen+ have been fine.
russ_watters
Mar11-08, 09:18 PM
Perhaps the newer ones are built to die quicker, I mean how can you make money on lightbulbs that last 15-20 years? Those first bulbs may be things of the past.
Well, regular fluorescents do, so why not?
That's the reason, btw, that we still see the old T12 lamps and magnetic ballast fixtures (that hum). Virtually all new tube fixtures being sold are T8/electronic ballast and don't hum or flicker because they run at a much higher frequency than the old T12s. But the T12s will persist for decades until people replace the fixtures.
Compact fluorescents also have electronic ballasts, so they also shouldn't hum/flicker.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluorescent_lamp
Chi Meson
Mar12-08, 05:45 AM
I have mostly CFs in my house. Many of them have much better color balance than the standard tube fluorescents. Still, I keep a few low-watt incandescent bulbs here and there. The combination of the green-blue dominant fluorescent and the red-orange dominant filament bulbs gives the most-natural light. It only takes about one 40 W incandescent bulb per three CFs to provide a pleasing overall light-cast.
Oh, yeah.... bounce that light off the ceiling whenever possible.
And stay away from halogens.
And say no to drugs.
I have mostly CFs in my house. Many of them have much better color balance than the standard tube fluorescents. Still, I keep a few low-watt incandescent bulbs here and there. The combination of the green-blue dominant fluorescent and the red-orange dominant filament bulbs gives the most-natural light. It only takes about one 40 W incandescent bulb per three CFs to provide a pleasing overall light-cast.
Oh, yeah.... bounce that light off the ceiling whenever possible.
And stay away from halogens.
And say no to drugs.
Bouncing light off the ceiling was the clinic's response to the suggestion that they get full spectrum lighting in place for the health of the staff and the patients. Mounting the fixtures that face the ceiling was a cost they could absorb as opposed to buying FS tubes over so many years. I wonder about this because, fluorescent lighting is proven to cause health issues and they are on all day and all night. There should be a warning label on the packaging not unlike cigarettes. Sometimes I don't get our society. Now smoking is banned within 6 metres of a doorway while trucks and cars can idle just 4 metres from most doorways.
Some people simply mix cool and warm fluorescent tubing and come up with a semi-full spectrum lighting situation. If we all used black lights our teeth would look pretty nice.-)
Chi Meson
Mar12-08, 01:54 PM
Bouncing light off the ceiling was the clinic's response to the suggestion that they get full spectrum lighting in place for the health of the staff and the patients.
That's silly. Diffusing light doesn't change the spectral output.
fluorescent lighting is proven to cause health issues
Dubious
and they are on all day and all night.
They don't need to be.
There should be a warning label on the packaging not unlike cigarettes.
No way are fluorescents anywhere near the danger-level of smoking or even secondhand smoke. Unless you are repeatedly breathing in the vapors of cracked fluorescent bulbs, on a daily basis, the "health issues" raised are insignificant in the face of the rest of our "health issues."
Nothing beats natural sunlight of course. The first step should be windows. Next step, light tubes.
That's silly. Diffusing light doesn't change the spectral output.
Dubious
They don't need to be.
No way are fluorescents anywhere near the danger-level of smoking or even secondhand smoke. Unless you are repeatedly breathing in the vapors of cracked fluorescent bulbs, on a daily basis, the "health issues" raised are insignificant in the face of the rest of our "health issues."
Nothing beats natural sunlight of course. The first step should be windows. Next step, light tubes.
If you follow my links to the site about Epilepsy you'll see how fluorescent tubing can trigger episodes of that condition.
Here's more news about people with photosensitive disorders in the UK
Low-energy bulbs 'worsen rashes'
The switch to energy-saving light bulbs may put thousands at risk of painful skin reactions, health charities warn. Fluorescent bulbs can exacerbate skin rashes in people with photosensitive skin conditions, experts said.
The government is planning to prevent the sale of conventional bulbs by 2011 to cut carbon dioxide emissions.
Several groups including the British Association of Dermatologists called for exemptions to allow those affected to continue using traditional bulbs.
But representatives of the lighting industry said there would be alternatives to fluorescent lighting available.
Health conditions which can involve some form of light sensitivity, include the auto-immune disease lupus, the genetic disorder Xeroderma Pigmentosum (XP), certain forms of eczema and dermatitis, photosensitivity, and porphyria.
It has been estimated about 100,000 people in the UK with these skin conditions will be affected.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7170246.stm
But, that's just the silly English talking... and they keep on going to claim that...
Low-energy bulbs 'cause migraine'
Energy-saving light bulbs could trigger migraines, say campaigners.
The Migraine Action Association says members have told them how fluorescent bulbs have led to attacks.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7167860.stm
Here's one for Danger...
Full spectrum lights mimic the sun and can reduce seasonal affective disorder or SAD especially during our northern winters when natural sunlight is limited.
But some full spectrum bulbs also produce high frequencies that some people are sensitive to. This sensitivity is known as electrical sensitivity (ES) or electrohypersensitivity (EHS) and is becoming a growing concern because of our increasing exposure to electromagnetic energy from electronic equipment and wireless devices.
As many as 3% of the population have full blown EHS and are unable to live is a modern electrical environment. Many complain that they cannot be in a room with fluorescent lights because they feel "unwell". These people have difficulty shopping in large department stores because of the lighting and often go with list in hand and spend as little time in the store as possible. Their cognitive functions diminish and some have difficulty recalling where they parked their car (editor: I'd be doing that from a candle-lit room).
http://www.beperkdestraling.org/Spaarlampen/Spaarlampen.aspx
Another report on the "dangers of fluorescent lighting".
A Chicago area elementary school suddenly reported five times the national average incidence of leukemia. All but one of the afflicted children were being taught in rooms where teachers kept the blinds drawn and the children were exposed all day to fluorescent light. When even the amount of UV-rich daylight that can get through windows was let in and the dangerous fluorescent lights were turned off, the leukemia cluster disappeared! [11] (11 = Light, an overlooked factor in healing. Let's Live 1977; Aug:30-36)
http://www.ppnf.org/catalog/ppnf/Articles/FullSpectrum.htm
Most of these are not peer reviewed articles: note, and remain as such since we are not peers either.
Moonbear
Mar12-08, 04:40 PM
Really? I put them in all of my outdoor lighting fixtures and places like ceiling fans and 12' ceilings where I don't want to keep climbing, and going on 10 years, I've never had to replace a single one. Of course I used brand names like GE and Sylvania. These bulbs cost me like $12 a piece, but well worth it.
Perhaps the newer ones are built to die quicker, I mean how can you make money on lightbulbs that last 15-20 years? Those first bulbs may be things of the past.
I think the first one I got was an off-brand, and I assumed that was the reason for it not lasting, but when the brand-name ones at $15 or $16 a pop were dying faster than regular bulbs, and I didn't really care much for the light they produced anyway (they never seem as bright as a regular bulb), I was definitely not going to try any more of them.
Others I've seen that seem to last are irritating as all get-out for another reason...they seem to need to warm up S L O W L Y before they'll reach full brightness. If I walk into the kitchen for a glass of water at night, I want the light to come right on, not fumble around in the dark and only have the light finally on at full brightness just when I'm ready to turn it off. The color on those ones seemed okay, but not very useful unless it's a room you're going to leave the lights on a long time (maybe a kids' playroom where they run in and out and keep forgetting there's a light switch).
I think the first one I got was an off-brand, and I assumed that was the reason for it not lasting, but when the brand-name ones at $15 or $16 a pop were dying faster than regular bulbs, and I didn't really care much for the light they produced anyway (they never seem as bright as a regular bulb), I was definitely not going to try any more of them.
Others I've seen that seem to last are irritating as all get-out for another reason...they seem to need to warm up S L O W L Y before they'll reach full brightness. If I walk into the kitchen for a glass of water at night, I want the light to come right on, not fumble around in the dark and only have the light finally on at full brightness just when I'm ready to turn it off. The color on those ones seemed okay, but not very useful unless it's a room you're going to leave the lights on a long time (maybe a kids' playroom where they run in and out and keep forgetting there's a light switch).They are not very bright and they are annoying. But for some reason the incandescents were buring out every couple of weeks and it was making me crazy. They were the store brand though.
Moonbear
Mar12-08, 05:17 PM
Most of these are not peer reviewed articles: note, and remain as such since we are not peers either.
Precisely...it's just a bunch of people with random problems trying to find excuses for them and reporting them to the news. Hence, Chi_Meson's comment that the claims are "dubious" remains.
russ_watters
Mar12-08, 05:32 PM
If you follow my links to the site about Epilepsy you'll see how fluorescent tubing can trigger episodes of that condition. Not anymore, they can't. If people don't replace their old, obsolete, less efficient, less pleasing fluorescent tubes and fixtures with new ones, that's their own fault. It isn't the fault of the technology, which is perfectly fine.
Another link you talked about was a prison where the inmates had no exposure to darkness. That's a problem that has nothing to do with fluorescent lighting. Here's more news about people with photosensitive disorders in the UK That's people who are already sick. Fluorescent lighting does not cause these conditions. Warm water makes a sunburn hurt more too, but it doesn't cause the sunburn and you can't call warm water a health hazard for that reason. But, that's just the silly English talking... and they keep on going to claim that... Well, yes. The US has tabloid journalism and nut-job special interest groups too, of course. No one's on this particular cause though. And like you said:
Most of these are not peer reviewed articles. Exactly. Another report on the "dangers of fluorescent lighting".
[on leukemia] That one's just nonsense and its easy to see why: what's the rate of childhood leukemia? (1:25,000) How many cases does it take for a school to have 5x the normal rate? (1 per decade for a school of 500 would do it)
You really are falling for crackpottery and fearmongering.
They are not very bright and they are annoying. But for some reason the incandescents were buring out every couple of weeks and it was making me crazy. They were the store brand though.
A 60 watt incandescent bulb will burn out rapidly in a socket meant for a 40 watt bulb. A 100 watt bulb will burn out faster in the same socket. This is also the cause of many fires so we're supposed to try to match the bulb to the socket's capacity.
You really are falling for crackpottery and fearmongering.
I'm googling "effects of fluorescent lighting on health" and I'm posting the links and quotes here. It may look like "falling for' but I'm simply reporting to a general discussion.
There are positives but they tend to be in fluoroscopy and the fact that fluorescent lights can burn for years before burning out.
The most documented, peer reviewed reports of harm attributed to fluorescent tubes is their mercury content and how that mercury is in every landfill in the industrialized world.
On a positive note I found and posted here the site for the UK "mercury recycling depot" for the fluorescent tube.
Apparently the new, energy efficient fluorescent lighting also contains mercury. So, hopefully, along with the govt. guidelines concerning the use of them, there will be govt. recycling depots for the mercury they contain. Then again, Dentists say mercury is nothing to worry about and their statement is peer reviewed.
EDIT: It is obvious, on the other hand, that there are very few actual medical studies about the effects of fluorescent lighting on human health. There's just a bunch of apparent semi-researched crackpot fear mongering.
russ_watters
Mar12-08, 06:39 PM
I'm googling "effects of fluorescent lighting on health" and I'm posting the links and quotes here. It may look like "falling for' but I'm simply reporting to a general discussion. Doing that requires that you filter-out the crackpottery because Google certainly won't do it for you.
Doing that requires that you filter-out the crackpottery because Google certainly won't do it for you.
Good idea Russ. I definitely did specify "studies" and "medical" and got no where with it. Some articles will link you to an actual study. In this case there were very little resources other than the mercury recycling link.
Moonbear
Mar12-08, 07:17 PM
Good idea Russ. I definitely did specify "studies" and "medical" and got no where with it.
Perhaps that should have told you something.
Perhaps that should have told you something.
For sure Moonbear but I like to think there might be some useful information in some of these links. Call me a dreamer.
Has anyone tried the fluorescent tube trick where you take a tube out to the power lines. You just hold up the tube and it lights up in the ambient energy?
http://www.vvork.com/?p=5103
http://ecoartblog.blogspot.com/2008/02/fluorescent-lighting-field.html
For sure Moonbear but I like to think there might be some useful information in some of these links. Call me a dreamer.
Has anyone tried the fluorescent tube trick where you take a tube out to the power lines. You just hold up the tube and it lights up in the ambient energy?
http://www.vvork.com/?p=5103
http://ecoartblog.blogspot.com/2008/02/fluorescent-lighting-field.html
I saw a science presentation on this at Lawrence Berkeley Labs when I was a kid. I don't remember what the power source was...but I clearly remember a classmate holding a fluorescent tube and it lit up...I was mesmerized.
Perhaps that should have told you something.
Here's the results of a controlled study about the effects of different types of light.
A Study Into the Effects of Types of Light on Children -A Case of Daylight Robbery
Warren E. Hathaway, Ph.D.
Hathaway Planning & Consulting Services
7607 - 183 St.Edmonton, AB T5T 2A8
Abstract:
Based on a review of the literature and a pilot study conducted from 1981 to 1985, a study was carried out that examined physical development and school performance effects of different lighting systems onelementary students. Students’ dental health, growth and development, attendance, and academic achievement were examined under four different types of lighting: (a) full spectrum fluorescent lamps, (b)full spectrum fluorescent lamps with ultraviolet light enhancements, (c) cool white fluorescent lamps, and(d) high pressure sodium vapor lamps. Data on 327 students, in Grade 4 at the end of the 1986-87 schoolyear, were collected at the start and at the conclusion of the study, which spanned two years.
The results indicated that over the two year period, students under full spectrum fluorescent lamps with ultraviolet supplements developed fewer dental cavities and had better attendance, achievement, and growth and development than students under other lights. Students under the high pressure sodium vapor lamps had the slowest rates of growth and development as well as the poorest attendance and achievement. On the basis of the findings of this study it was concluded that lights have important non-visual effects on students who are exposed to them on a regular basis in the classroom.
http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:gtLnT-HOKowJ:www.advancedglazings.com/expSolera/researchPaper_Daylight_Robbery.pdf+controlled+stud y+of+the+effects+of+fluorescent+light&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=ca
There's also this study from Oxford concerning fluorescent light and melanoma.
This is a pay per view article.
The Association of Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma and Fluorescent Light Exposure
Walter et al. Am. J. Epidemiol..1992; 135: 749-762
http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/135/7/749.pdf
tribdog
Mar13-08, 09:28 AM
They are not very bright and they are annoying.
Wow, my girlfriend has described me using those exact words.
Moonbear
Mar13-08, 09:31 AM
There's also this study from Oxford concerning fluorescent light and melanoma.
This is a pay per view article.
http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/135/7/749.pdf
They don't seem to be taking into account NON-occupational exposures to anything. For example, seems to mention the occupational sunlight exposure, but nothing about whether those who spend a lot of time working under fluorescent lights go out and work in their yard with their shirts off all weekend long (there was only an effect in men, not women).
From another study:
BMJ. 1988 September 10; 297(6649): 647–650.
Fluorescent lights, ultraviolet lamps, and risk of cutaneous melanoma.
A. J. Swerdlow, J. S. English, R. M. MacKie, C. J. O'Doherty, J. A. Hunter, J. Clark, and D. J. Hole
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=3140927
(Some errata found here, but don't change the conclusions: http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/pagerender.fcgi?artid=1835008&pageindex=1 )
Beral et al reported an increased risk of
melanoma from occupational exposure to fluorescent
lights, the risk being related to duration of exposure,5
but several case-control studies since then have not
given consistent evidence of raised risk. Our results
also do not suggest any consistent relation. Like
most689 but not all57 studies we found no significant
relation between occupational or total exposure to
fluorescent light and risk of melanoma overall. As
in both studies that examined exposure at home
separately59 we found no association of risk with such
exposure, which, although often of lesser magnitude
than exposure at work, may be less susceptible to
reporting error.22
They don't seem to be taking into account NON-occupational exposures to anything. For example, seems to mention the occupational sunlight exposure, but nothing about whether those who spend a lot of time working under fluorescent lights go out and work in their yard with their shirts off all weekend long (there was only an effect in men, not women).
From another study:
BMJ. 1988 September 10; 297(6649): 647–650.
Fluorescent lights, ultraviolet lamps, and risk of cutaneous melanoma.
A. J. Swerdlow, J. S. English, R. M. MacKie, C. J. O'Doherty, J. A. Hunter, J. Clark, and D. J. Hole
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=3140927
(Some errata found here, but don't change the conclusions: http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/pagerender.fcgi?artid=1835008&pageindex=1 )
Thanks Moonbear. I wondered what the outcome from Oxford was.
You may wonder why I'm looking for negative side affects of fluorescent lighting. Its because the title of the thread is "Arrrrrg.... fluorescent lighting". So, I was looking for the "Arrrrrg...g" factor. Other than that, I know how much I enjoy fluorescent lighting and I'll take care of my own likes and dislikes in that regard. Everyone else is free to live as they see fit!
Thanks Moonbear. I wondered what the outcome from Oxford was.
You may wonder why I'm looking for negative side affects of fluorescent lighting. Its because the title of the thread is "Arrrrrg.... fluorescent lighting". So, I was looking for the "Arrrrrg...g" factor. Other than that, I know how much I enjoy fluorescent lighting and I'll take care of my own likes and dislikes in that regard. Everyone else is free to live as they see fit!
I figure just off hand that I need the same light that plants need, so Ill opt for full spectrum when I can get it. Some green plants do fine on cool white fluorescent (blue), but flowering plants also need the reds of full spectrum. Maybe I am just a late bloomer. :smile: That or at some time during the last 20,000 or so years my ancestors got hooked on it.
I figure just off hand that I need the same light that plants need, so Ill opt for full spectrum when I can get it. Some green plants do fine on cool white fluorescent (blue), but flowering plants also need the reds of full spectrum. Maybe I am just a late bloomer. :smile: That or at some time during the last 20,000 or so years my ancestors got hooked on it.
I've studied a lot of light and colour therapy theories. I recommend Faber Birren who is my American hero because he helped win the 2nd world war with his colour theories. Number one is that he developed the red, green and yellow signals for intersections. He also organized the colour and lighting for munitions factories in the USA back in the 40s during the war. His theories kept people safe and awake in these 24 hour factories.
He also used light to reduce and enlarge tumours in cancerous subjects (lab animals). The blue light tended to freeze up hormone production in organisms (and resulted either in tumour growth or simply continued metastatic growth) Red light stirs up hormones to the point of reducing the tumours (possibly because of anti-growth hormone secretion). See: "Red Light District". When plants are growing throughout the spring and summer there is reduced red light in the spectrum of the sun. This is due to angle and atmospheric conditions I guess. At mid summer we get more red light and the plants stop growth and begin to produce reproductive cells (flowers, seeds etc). This may also explain the apparent "stop growth" order red light signals to cancerous cells. Cancer is a example of full on mitosis. There's no meiosis going on in preparation for reproduction.
Next time you see red brake lights, yellow yield signs or orange with diagonal black striped construction signs... you'll know you're looking at the results of Faber Birren's many years of research into the therapies and psychology of colour.
vBulletin® v3.8.7, Copyright ©2000-2012, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.