"Lupus? Is it Lupus??"
Posted on 01/14/2009 4:58:49 AM PST by ButThreeLeftsDo
They can help save money and the environment, but some say energy saving light bulbs are making them sick.
The new compact fluorescent bulbs have become exceedingly more popular over the past few years—they use less energy and last up to 10 times longer. So Connie Hall, of Stacy, also decided to invest in them, too.
But a week later, Hall developed a severe rash on her arm and neck.
"I was kind of horrified really," she said.
Already super sensitive to light, a symptom of her Lupus, Hall also became weak, tired and her blood pressure was high. But doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong until a light bulb went off.
"When the doctor walked in I said, ‘Do you think it has anything to do with the energy saving light bulbs I’m using,’" said Hall.
Her doctor says that's exactly the case. The ultraviolet rays emitted from the bulbs were making Hall even more sick, and researchers agree the bulbs can not only effect those with Lupus, but also those who suffer from epilepsy or migraine headaches.
"We think when the ultraviolet light hits the skin, it causes inflammation that can trigger a flare up of the entire illness. So it really can be a really big problem for Lupus patients," explained Dr. Daniel Mueller with the University of Minnesota.
Hall has since she replaced the new bulbs with conventional ones, but she now wants to warn others with a similar condition.
"There are other people who are being exposed to this light and have no clue because there's no warning label on the packaging at all," she said.
The Lupus Foundation has recently started lobbying Congress to require warning labels on the energy saving light bulbs. In the meantime, doctors say an easy fix would be to use a light fixture cover or a lampshade.
Thanks for posting this. My wife has Lupis and we have CFL bulbs all over the house. This will be interesting.
We’ve noticed that as well. It seems if there is moisture in the area (bathrooms, outdoor lighting etc.) these things never get to full power and stop working completely long before a regular bulb would. It’s a total rip off.
Just another instance where the environuts and greenie weenies had the best of intentions but didn’t quite think it trough to the logical conclusion. Their knee-jerk reactions will be the deaths of millions............
Fascinating subject.
I used to work in offices with fluorescent lights and found myself feeling worse the longer I was there in hours then even worse as months went by never realizing the cause.
I always thought it could be the lights, and even now, when I go into stores with those type of lights I get to feeling dizzy.. I thought it was just me.
I am going to stock up on light bulbs before 0blahblah decides we can’t have them any longer.
“up to” are the key words in all of these pie in the sky notions.
Notice how much “up to” is used in advertising and marketing of products?
Glad to be of service.....
I read you can’t just walk into the kitchen, turn on the light, get a drink of water and then turn off the light as you leave the kitchen. You have to leave the light on for at least 15 minutes or else the light bulb won’t last. Also, the light bulbs contain mercury so they are considered a HAZMAT problem (like the batteries in a Prius). You can’t dispose of them in the garbage - you have to dispose of them in a HAZMAT facility.
http://www.epa.gov/mercury/spills/
Look up Bachmann’s light bulb act:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1991848/posts
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When I’ve stayed in hotels in Boston and SF, it has been all fluorescent bulbs. If I had to live there, I would pitch myself headlong from the balcony into the atrium, screaming down past all those lovely dangling strings of tiny decorative incandescent lights.
Sickly, cold, deathly, green, gloomy, nasty fluorescent lights. Life in twilight. Guaranteed to send those with depressive tendencies into the pit of darkness.
Now, if fluorescent bulbs are mandated, I will do two things: buy a hundred-year supply of incandescents, and buy about five more lightboxes. Daylight in a box, the cure for seasonal afflictive disorder, 320 watts of truly full spectrum fluorescence. So much for energy savings.
Thank you so much for the information. I will pass it along to the Mrs. and she can share it with Mrs. Rogers. Mrs. Rogers has been teaching at the preschool for nearly 30 years and this is the first time she’s complained of headaches so I have to believe that it has to do with the newly remodeled space.
I am a professional freelance photographer. I can’t stand yellow walls! For the last five years or so they seem to be the rage, especially in schools where I do a lot of my shooting. It can be very challenging to get the color balance correct when the area has yellow walls. Other colors cause problems too, but nothing is as bad as yellow!
Thanks again!
“AND if it’s in a very cold place, like a shed or back porch, ferget it! They won’t come on at all!............”
Define very cold. I’ve got them outside my garage, and while they do take a little while to warm up and produce full light output, they work fine - and have for several years now. The temp here last night was close to 0, and they were working just fine.
bump for later
I guess it’s the quality of the bulbs you buy, but the ones in my shed won’t come on if the temp is near freezing. Above 40°F they are dim until they “warm up”................
Another gift from China.
"Navajo White" seems to be the "in" color for walls, which is a yellowish off white.........
The walls I’m seeing in preschools and elementary schools is pure yellow! Bright yellow, no other way to describe it. It’s part of the push of late to make class areas bright and cheerful. I guess it works for the kids, but it sure makes like tough for photography!
In order to get "instant light", my garage has half tungsten and half CFL.
The CFLs are 3 years old. The TBs burn out about every 10 months.
FWIW, TBs on dimmers (in my house, anyway) seem to last much longer than TBs on straight switches.
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