On Sun, 22 Jun 2008 20:06:10 GMT, Chuck wrote:

Paul M. Eldridge wrote:
On Sun, 22 Jun 2008 12:29:38 GMT, Chuck wrote:

CFL's also emit UV. People that have Lupus, fibromyalgia, or Sjogrens
syndrome (auto-immune diseases) become very ill. Going into any store
with fluorescent lighting causes them a lot of discomfort.

Hi Chuck,

Note that incandescent lamps also emit UV; where this may be a
concern, halogen lamps with their hard (UV absorbing) glass
construction are a better choice and, in particular, those with
special UV coatings.

With respect to fluorescents and UV, here's what GE has to say:

"The amount of UV produced by standard fluorescent lamps, such as
those in your office, home, or school, is not hazardous and does not
pose a major health concern. In fact, a paper by the National
Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) explores this subject in
more detail. It cites a study in which it was determined that UV
exposure from sitting indoors under fluorescent lights at typical
office light levels for an eight hour workday is equivalent to just
over a minute of exposure to the sun in Washington, D.C. on a clear
day in July."

Source: http://www.gelighting.com/na/busines...aqs/health.htm

Cheers,
Paul


I guess myself and several dozen folks that have auto-immune problems I
associate with are mistaken. We have all noticed that we turn beet red
and begin sweating after more then 15 minutes in a store or any building
that has uncovered fluorescent lighting. The same reason we all have to
wear sunblock everyday all day just to go outdoors.
The studies you mention are with normal folks that don't have
auto-immune problems. Just a minute of exposure to sun light, outdoors,
will put me in bed for a day. I am in Fl.
I thank you for your research but I can not agree with you or the people
that are pushing the CFL's Chuck


Hi Chuck,

My comments were not intended to suggest linear fluorescent or CFL
lamps pose little or no risk to someone with a serious medical
condition such as your own; rather, it was to point out that
incandescent and to a somewhat lesser extent halogen lamps also emit
UV radiation and, consequently, those who are acutely sensitive to UV
radiation should still take the appropriate precautions when using
these sources -- in other words, incandescent lamps do not get a free
pass.

For the rest of us, the use of CFLs in a residential environment where
ambient light levels are typically one-tenth to one-twentieth that of
an office space and where our length of exposure may be one-third to
one-half that of a normal workday, we might be looking at the
equivalent of a two to three second exposure to daylight.

My apologies for any confusion.

Cheers,
Paul