Eco-Friendly Light Bulbs Increase Cancer Risk, Says University Study

"Eco-friendly" CFL: Deadly

Incandescent:
Safer, Simpler

Jan. 7, 2013 - Those energy efficient fluorescent light bulbs that the Leftists in Congress are forcing upon us are potentially deadly, says a study by the prestigious Stony Brook University on Long Island, NY.

The bulbs are  advertised as "eco-friendly" and less expensive to use, but they have serious drawbacks. Aside from causing a mercury spill hazard materials event when broken, we now learn that they emit extreme levels of ultra violet radiation. The bulbs are also called "compact fluorescent light" (CFL) bulbs.

“When there is something in your house, you don’t perceive any danger, you wouldn’t get that close to an x-ray in a doctor’s office,” says Miriam Rafailovich, Professor of Materials Science at Stony Brook University in New York. That's from a report by CBS4 Miami, which also noted that the study "found that the bulbs emit rays so strong that they can actually burn skin and skin cells." CBS4 quoted Marcia Simon, a Professor of Dermatology, who said, "The results were that you could actually initiate cell death."

The radiation hazard is in addition to the potential mercury hazard. In fact, the mercury hazard caused by a broken CFL bulb is great enough that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published special instructions under the heading "Cleaning Up a Broken CFL - What to Do if a CFL Breaks."

Inside a CFL, argon gas and mercury vapor are stimulated by the flow
of electricity, producing UV light. This light hits the phosphor coating
painted inside the bulb and causes it to fluoresce. The phosphor
blocks most but not all of the UV light, which is radiated along
with visible light.  Joseph Tart/EHP SOURCE

The EPA also has special advice for disposing of the CFLs to help prevent mercury spilling into the environment. The EPA never did that, and never will, for incandescent bulbs because there is no need: They are not hazardous either in the home or in a landfill.

Thinking about using white light-emitting diode (LED) lighting as a safe, economical alternative? Think again, eco-freaks: A study by Fabio Falchi, Pierantonio Cinzano, Christopher D. Elvidge, David M. Keith and Abraham Haim and published in the Journal of Environmental Management in 2011suggests that LED light diminishes melatonin, a hormone needed for a variety of bodily functions. As if that wasn't bad enough, LEDs "actually contain lead, arsenic and a dozen other potentially hazardous substances, according to...published research," reports Science Daily.

Think about this the next time you snuggle up with a book under one of those damned "eco-friendly" bulbs. Remember that the cell death you are experiencing has been forced upon you by the wackos in the environmental movement and the dim bulbs in Congress who banned many conventional incandescent bulbs.

"As of January 1, 2013 stores will still be able to sell their current stock of those bulbs, but will not be able to order or import 75 watt incandescent bulbs," reports WSAW7 News. "Last year, 100 watt bulbs were taken off the market. And next January, 60 and 40 watt bulbs will be taken off the market."

FIPEL lighting. Image: BBC

The attack on many incandescent bulbs was put into law by passage of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which was supported by both Democrats and Republicans in Congress. It was signed into law by President George W. Bush but make no mistake: It was championed by the Left and strongly opposed by conservatives and many in the Republican Party. If you or a family member go blind or develop melanoma because of these bulbs, write a thank you note to the EPA.

A final, optimistic note: Not all is negative in the world of indoor lighting. Researchers have made promising headway in the development of FIPEL lighting. As reported by tested.com, "FIPEL, which stands for field-induced polymer electroluminescence.... is a type of light that produces a calm, steady white light as efficiently as LEDs and is also bendable, which is a huge plus over traditional bulbs. FIPEL uses carbon nanotubes dispersed in a polymer to create light when exposed to an alternating current." The inventor of the FIPEL lighting is Dr. David Carroll, professor of physics at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, says BBC News. The Fipel bulb, says Prof. Carroll, creates light without heat, contains no mercury or caustic chemicals, and don't shatter. He says the bulb has a low manufacturing cost and, says BBC, "believes the first production runs will take place in 2013."

No doubt, the research for more efficient lighting will continue. For now, we're saddled with LEDs and CFLs. The future, if you'll pardon a pun, looks brighter.

Related:

• Retailers to Phase out 75 Watt Incandescent Light Bulbs WSAW7 News
• Not all household incandescent light bulbs are going to disappear Cleveland.com
• LED Products Billed as Eco-Friendly Contain Toxic Metals, Study Finds Science Daily
• Compact Fluorescent Lights Dumping Mercury Directly into Landfills Natural News
• Major Health Hazards of Using CFL Bulbs B2B Business News
• Ultraviolet Leaks from CFLs National Institutes of Health (NIH.gov)
• IKEA Plans CFL Phase-Out by 2016 Earth911.com 
• Recycling and Disposal After a CFL Burns Out EPA.gov
• Light Bulbs That Kill Freedoms Outpost
• Sick of Fluorescents? New Technology Provides Flicker-Free Light Smithsonian Mag 
• The Democrats' War on Science Aids Our Enemies American Thinker