Can Energy Saving Light Bulbs Damage Skin?

For the most part, everyone knows that one good way to prevent a sun burn is to stay indoors, where you're safe from the sun's damaging UV rays. Correct? Well, this may not necessarily be true if your house is lit with energy-saving fluorescent light bulbs. Can the tiny defects in these bulbs let through UV radiation that can damage skin cells and lead to cancer? According to an article in Scientific American, a study done from researchers at the State University of New York at Stony Brook seems to think so. The curlicue compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) often touted as an eco-friendly alternative to standard light bulbs may cause skin damage, according to this study. The researchers' data, published in the journal Photochemistry and Photobiology, is preliminary and based on experiments in a lab. The researchers say it's also not that hard to avoid these dangerous rays. They recommend putting the light bulbs behind glass or keeping a few feet away from the CFL bulbs.

According to a report by the UK Health Protection Agency, fluorescent light bulbs may add about 3% to the lifetime UV exposure. However, this estimate is imprecise and some bulbs may be greater offenders than others. If you spend a lot of time under intense fluorescent light, you should consider extra protection. One possible step is to ensure that fluorescent light bulbs have plastic diffusers over them. Depending on the material used in the diffuser, UVA rays would be reduced by 17-99% and UVB rays by 19-100%.

So you may ask…why does a household light bulb produce UV light in the first place? Well, all energy-saving fluorescent light bulbs contain mercury vapor, which emits UV rays when hit with an electric current. Normally those UV rays are absorbed by a layer of molecules, called phosphors, on the inside of the bulb and reappear as safe white light. But if the phosphor coating cracks, UV light escapes. And according to the researchers at Stony Brook, defects are common. They saw bald spots in nearly all the bulbs they collected from retail stores. They blame the manufacturing process, when the bulbs are twisted into their signature spiral shape. Phosphor is brittle and it can't take the curve.

LED lights also typically need phosphors to make white light, but the similarity to energy-saving bulbs ends there. Inside most LED bulbs is a blue light source, which is converted to a full spectrum of colors by phosphors. Even if the phosphor coating is damaged, the blue light within sits firmly on the visible spectrum, and poses no danger to human skin. However, keep in mind that if you spend too much time under LED blue light, especially at night, it can throw off your sleep cycle. So while LED bulbs are a good choice for the work place or during the day time, they're a poor choice for your bed side.

Halogen lights are filled with inert gas and a small amount of halogen such as iodine. They operate at a higher temperature than regular incandescent lights and emit a somewhat different spectrum of light, which includes some UV light. Furthermore, halogen lights are often made of quartz because it is more resistant to intense heat. The problem is that quartz doesn’t block UV radiation. Manufacturers of halogen lights are aware of this issue and resolve it by using the so-called doped quartz (quarts with UV-blocking additives) or special heat resistant glass, or by simply enclosing quartz bulb inside a regular glass bulb. As a result, most of UV light generated by common halogen lights is blocked. The question is what percentage, if any, isn’t blocked and what are the variations among bulb models and/or manufacturers. So, if you spend a lot of time under direct light halogen lights, consider additional protective measures such as plastic diffusers or switching to designs that use reflected light.

Being Indoors, Glass, and UV Protection

Being indoors doesn’t protect you from UV damage that causes skin aging. While UVB rays (the ones that cause sun burns) don’t generally get indoors, UVA rays (the ones that cause wrinkles) can get indoors with relative ease. Ordinary window glass doesn’t block UVA rays, it only blocks UVB rays. The percentage of UVA rays that pass through depends on the type of glass and the type of coating on the glass, whether it’s ordinary (clear), reflective (allows you to see in one direction much better than in the opposite direction), or tinted glass. Clear glass allows up to 75% of UVA rays to pass through. Tinted and reflective glass absorbs more of the UVA rays but still allows about 25-50% to pass through. There is also Low-E (low emissivity) glass, developed to minimize heating and cooling costs. As far as UV rays are concerned, regular Low-E glass behaves similar to clear glass, most UVB rays are blocked, but most UVA rays get through.

The best protection comes from the types of glass specially geared towards blocking UV rays, such as laminated glass and UV-blocking coated glass. Both filter out anywhere from 95% to 99% of all UV light. However, neither of these two types of glasses are common in residential or commercial structures. It's important to ask beforehand for glass that blocks out most UV light for your car, home, or business windows.

If you want to minimize skin aging, you need to protect yourself from indoor UVA exposure. So use window blinds or shades during peak sun hours and wear sufficient clothing and sunscreen. Arrange your work space area not too close to windows. Indoor UVA intensity decreases as the distance from the window increases. In most modern-day cars, the windshield is built of laminated glass that blocks all UVB rays and the vast majority of UVA rays. However, the side and rear windows are usually made from non-laminated glass and let most UVA rays through. Tinting glass on side and rear car windows can block UVA penetration to about 15-30%, a much better but still significant level. If your car has clear glass windows, you can add tinting at a qualified auto shop. However, make sure the facility can guarantee compliance with the federally mandated standard of 70% of minimum visible light transmittance through the windshield. Use sun protection measures while in the car, such as sunscreens, protective clothing, sunglasses, etc.

The Light Bulb Bottom Line

Fluorescent energy-saving light bulbs often use less than a quarter of the energy of comparable filament light bulbs. This makes them more appealing to individuals who want to lower their electric bills. The U.S. Department of Energy has strongly advocated fluorescent light bulb use under its Energy Star program, spending $252 million in 2010 to increase use. While some studies suggest that fluorescent light bulbs might cause damage to skin by releasing UV rays, this doesn't mean that you need to absolutely avoid them all together. If you still want to use them in your house or office, just make sure that they are at a safe distance away from being close in contact with your skin and put an extra glass cover or plastic diffuser around them.

UV light comes in three varieties: UVA, UVB, and UVC. Researchers tested fluorescent light bulbs for UVA and UVC emissions. In skin cells, UVA creates reactive oxygen, which can damage their inner workings, and penetrates further into skin. Outdoors, people are typically exposed to UVA and UVB rays only. UVC is usually scattered away by air, so we aren't usually exposed to it in the sun. However, UVC light damages DNA. Under fluorescent light bulbs, studies showed skin cells stopped growing and changed shape. Dermal fibroblasts suffered more than keratinocytes, since they are usually not exposed to light. This indicates that fluorescent light bulbs can damage skin in several layers. At close range, which is considered around a foot or so, fluorescent light bulb exposure is "the equivalent of sunbathing at the equator." This may not be cause for alarm for those who have fluorescent bulbs mounted in ceiling fixtures, but it should be a concern with desk or table lamps.

If you are still worried about the potential health effects from fluorescent light bulbs, there are other options. Considered to be the future of light bulb technology, LED lights don’t contain any filaments that will burn out, and they don’t heat up very much either. Instead, they are illuminated by the movement of electrons in a semiconductor material, causing no flickering and emitting almost no damaging UV light. LED and incandescent light bulbs have no emission in UV range. Therefore, they don’t really pose any risk. LED light bulbs generally tend to be a little more costly than energy-saving light bulbs. However, LEDs are dropping in price. Manufacturers are also making more efficient versions of incandescent light bulbs.

Are you concerned about UV damage from energy-saving light bulbs? Which ones do you prefer using? For me personally, I prefer using LEDs and incandescent light bulbs in my home and office. But I like that there are options based on what works best for you.

Have any questions or comments for me? Feel free to comment below or email me at [email protected].

Sources:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-compact-fluorescent-lightbulbs-damage-skin/

https://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/12/13/energy-efficient-lightbulbs-could-pose-uv-risk-to-skin-trigger-migraines.html