Ailments Caused by Fluorescent Lights

Household usage of fluorescent lights is growing, spurred largely by their longer lifespan and lower energy usage compared with the incandescent bulb. Despite rumors to the contrary, these bulbs generally are safe. They do pose a risk of causing a few ailments, however, particularly when they break or when used by people sensitive to light.

Mercury Poisoning

• A broken fluorescent bulb carries the threat of the most serious ailments. All fluorescent bulbs contain a small amount of mercury to enhance illumination. A compact fluorescent bulb, for example, generally contains fewer than 10 mg of mercury, while some other fluorescent bulbs can contain more than 100 mg, according to the Northeast Waste Management Officials' Association. Even a small amount of mercury is highly toxic, and exposure can damage the lungs, brain, kidneys and nervous system. Take care not to break fluorescent bulbs, and if you do, follow the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's instructions for cleanup, which you can find in the "Resources" section. These steps include airing out the room, carefully sealing up and disposing glass fragments and throwing away fabrics that come in direct contact with mercury.

Headaches/Eyestrain

• Older fluorescent bulbs, the types typically seen lining the ceilings of schools and office buildings, have an electrical cycle of 60 hertz, meaning they turn on and off 60 times per second. Some people can detect this cycle, causing the bulbs to seem to have a constant flicker. This flicker can cause headaches and, in rare cases, seizures, according to the California Energy Commission. Newer compact fluorescent bulbs cycle thousands of times faster, making their flicker undetectable to the human eye. While no scientific studies have connected compact fluorescent bulbs usage directly with headaches, there have been a few anecdotal cases of people complaining of migraines after switching to the bulbs, according to "E/The Environmental Magazine." A few types of these bulbs can emit radio frequency radiation that can cause headaches or eyestrain. You can check your bulbs for that emission by placing a portable radio near it and checking for interference. More often, headaches come from eyestrain caused by poor lighting. If you've recently switched to fluorescent lighting, check the lumen output on your bulb brand to see how it compares with the lighting you previously used.

Skin Problems

• Fluorescent lights emit ultraviolet (UV) light, the invisible, high-frequency waves that can damage the skin and cause skin cancer after prolonged exposure. Their UV emission levels, however, are relatively small and further reduced by the bulb's glass casing. The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency tested 24 compact fluorescent bulb brands and found that none emitted a dangerous level of UV radiation even exposed for eight hours only 10 inches away from the source. Any fluorescent light that emitted a dangerous level of radiation would have to label itself as such on its packaging, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Even so, some medical conditions, such as lupus, make people more sensitive to light, and such people might need to keep extra distance from the lights, according to the FDA. Additionally, the FDA recommends that people not be exposed for more than one hour at a distance closer than one foot from single-envelope bulbs--the spiral compact bulbs that do not have an extra glass casing around them.