Are you concerned about the safety of CFL and LED light bulbs? Wondering which choice is the best for your home or office? Learn how to find safe light bulbs!
When the US government decided to phase out incandescent bulbs, it gave little attention to the health impact of contemporary lighting alternatives. While energy efficiency is a valid concern, we can’t afford to disregard health when it comes to our lighting choices. The following overview is designed as a guide for the next time you find yourself wandering aimlessly in your store’s light bulb aisle.
Light Bulb Basics
Incandescent
Contemporary incandescent bulbs are not much different from the bulbs offered by Thomas Edison in 1878. The bulb consists of a tungsten wire filament wrapped in a tight coil. Electricity passes through the coil, heating the filament to a very high temperature (up to 4,500 degrees Fahrenheit). The globe of the bulb contains an inert gas to prevent the heated metal from combining with oxygen that would cause the filament to burn out. Incandescent bulbs are the “simplest” of the options, but most of their energy goes toward producing heat rather than light, which makes them less desirable in terms of energy efficiency.
It’s important to note that incandescent bulbs emit a broad spectrum of light with concentrations in the yellow-orange range, while typical fluorescent bulbs emit more in the blue-violet spectrum. This can have far-reaching effects on our sleep, as we’ll see later.
(Halogen lamps are a more complicated version of the incandescent bulb. A small amount of iodine or bromine [a halogen] is added to prevent filament evaporation, and the bulb is supplied with electric current by feed-through terminals or wires embedded in the glass. )
LED
LED or Light-Emitting Diode bulbs rely on a diode that serves as a semiconductor to control the direction of the electricity flow. Electrons recombine with electron holes, releasing energy in the form of photons. The color of the light is determined by the make-up of the semiconductor. LEDs are relatively straightforward and free of hazardous vapors.
CFL
CFL or Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs rely on an electric current driven through a tube containing mercury vapor. As B. Blake Levitt explains in her book Electromagnetic Fields: A Consumer’s Guide to the Issues and How to Protect Ourselves:
Fluorescent fixtures contain a phosphor-coated glass tube that glows when electric current is passed through it. Electrodes at each end of the tube are heated by current and emit free electrons. The electrons strike atoms of mercury vapor contained in the tube and this causes the atoms to emit ultraviolet light, which in turn energizes the phosphor atoms into emitting white light.
CFL bulbs use significantly less energy than incandescent bulbs and are more affordable than LED bulbs, making them the #1 choice for many homeowners and business owners.
Health Effects of Light Bulbs
There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to the health implications of the various lighting options.
Worst: CFL
While some CFL bulbs are double-encased and offer full-spectrum lighting, most compact fluorescent bulbs are burdensome in terms of health. The mercury inside the bulb emits ultraviolet (UV) radiation when electrically excited. While tube fluorescent bulbs often have diffusers to filter the UV, CFL bulbs do not. This increased UV exposure has been linked to the increasing incidence of skin disorders and skin cancers. According to the study The Effects of UV Emission From Compact Fluorescent Light Exposure on Human Dermal Fibroblasts and Keratinocytes In Vitro, CFLs negatively impact healthy skin cells.
Cells exposed to CFLs exhibited a decrease in the proliferation rate, a significant increase in the production of reactive oxygen species, and a decrease in their ability to contract collagen.
What’s more, CFL bulbs generate radio frequency radiation, as suggested by leading EMF expert Dr. Magda Havas. In her paper Health Concerns associated with Energy Efficient Lighting and their Electromagnetic Emissions, Dr. Havas explains the health hazards associated with the radio frequency band.
The energy efficient compact fluorescent lights that are commercially available generate radio frequency radiation and ultraviolet radiation, they contain mercury—a known neurotoxin, and they are making some people ill. Instead of promoting these light bulbs governments around the world should be insisting that manufacturers produce light bulbs that are electromagnetically clean and contain no toxic chemicals.
Dr. Havas notes that a survey of electrically-sensitive individuals showed a high percentage of headaches for those exposed to tube and compact fluorescent bulbs.
Another issue with CFL bulbs is dirty electricity. Dirty electricity is defined as harmonics of a fundamental frequency, which is 60 Hz in the case of these bulbs. These harmonics ride on top of the 60 Hz base frequency and cause “noise” which has been linked with health issues, as noted by Dr. Havas:
We have conducted studies with diabetics and people who have multiple sclerosis and found that when the dirty electricity in their home is reduced their symptoms diminish. Both type 1 and type 2 diabetics have lower blood sugar and type 1 diabetics require less insulin when they are in an electromagnetically clean environment. People with MS have fewer tremors, improved balance, less fatigue, and several have been able to walk unassisted after the dirty electricity in their home was reduced.
Dr. Havas offers a graphic showing the difference between an incandescent bulb and a CFL bulb. The CFL bulb raised the readings to 298 GS units, which is a high reading.
Health Concerns Associated with Energy Efficient Lighting and Their Electromagnetic Emissions. Used with permission.
(See the graphics and full paper here.)
** Note: If you must have CFL bulbs, choose the encapsulated double envelope versions rather than the open curly-wurly versions.
***In addition to the issues noted above, broken CFL bulbs create a serious health hazard because of the mercury. See the EPA’s Cleaning up a Broken CFL.
Some versions of LED are safer than others. Choose high-quality, high-efficiency LED bulbs that don’t use a transformer.
The website EarthLED carries a wide range of LED bulbs. Find them here.
Better: Incandescent
Good old-fashioned incandescent light bulbs may be the best option for artificial lighting. Take advantage of their availability and stock up while you can.
There is good news too. MIT has come up with an energy efficient version of the incandescent bulb. See “A Nanophotonic Comeback for Incandescent Bulbs? Researchers Combine the Warm Look of traditional Light Bulbs with 21st-Century Energy Efficiency.”
Best: Natural light
The optimal choice for your health is to get as much natural light as possible. Spend time outdoors, make sure your desk is near a window, and open all shades and curtains during the day. (See my previous post on the Health Benefits of Natural Light.)
If possible, go to bed early and wake up at daybreak. Get your body back in tune with the Earth’s clock. It not only benefits your health but also decreases your dependence on artificial lighting—which in turn uses less energy.
One light bulb company, Lighting Science, now has warning labels on its products, alerting consumers to the dangers of artificial light and directing them to a website where they can learn about blue light and its impact on sleep and melatonin production.
Our Journey
We have incandescent bulbs throughout our home. It was one of the first changes we made after an electromagnetic radiation inspection. (See more in my previous post From Wireless to Wired – Our Family’s Journey.)
We didn’t rush to replace the ones that were in the garage or less occupied areas, but focused on sleeping and living areas. I avoid overhead lights, preferring lamps on side tables or night stands. Most of all, I try to go to bed early and use orange-tinted glasses when reading before bed. (Find them here.) The glasses offer an affordable way to filter the blue light that suppresses melatonin. I often read on my iPad (in airplane mode with WiFi and Bluetooth turned off) and fall asleep quickly.
I also purchased a blue light filtering LED bulb for nighttime use from Lighting Science for two of our bedrooms, but didn’t notice a difference compared with the incandescent bulbs. I prefer the orange glasses for cost and simplicity.
As with virtually any buying decision, education is critical—especially when it comes to technology and artificial lighting. Keeping our indoor lighting to a minimum, regardless of light bulb type, can help improve and maintain health.
I appreciate this post Andrea! Thank you so much for breaking it down! I was not aware of all of these details!
Thank you, Renee!
Thank you so much for this post. I’ve hated CFL’s since they came on the scene. I much prefer incandescent… although with them phasing out, we are slowly switching to LED’s. We moved to a new house last year and the entire place was full of CFL’s! Ugh. Thankfully, they keep burning out so we are replacing more and more.
Thank you for this! Shopping for light bulbs has really become a big challenge! #thestruggleisreal
Thanks so much for all this education! Its interesting to see that my intuitive dislike of CFLs is logical! I’ll take natural light any day! ; )
Yes, your gut instinct was right on, Debbie.
Just curious – have you ever heard of these bulbs? It says they are “like” incandescents, but “improved”… Trustworthy??
http://www.newcandescent.com
Hi Dawn! These look very intriguing. I’m eager to find out more. Let me know if you learn anything and I’ll do the same. Thanks for raising this question.
We learned about them from a former customer http://chiotsrun.com a few years back. Our stash of bulbs here got low enough in December that we thought we should order some to give them a try. I admit, though, I only read what was on their site, and went mainly by our friends’ referral… I didn’t do any extra research. I’ve made notations to track how long a bulb lasts, so we’ll see.?
What about halogen bulbs? Do they fall into the category of CFL bulbs? Thanks!
Marissa,
Here’s what I know about halogen:
“Halogen lamps are a more complicated version of the incandescent bulb. A small amount of iodine or bromine [a halogen] is added to prevent filament evaporation, and the bulb is supplied with electric current by feed-through terminals or wires embedded in the glass.” I’ve heard opposing views on this – that perhaps halogen are a bit more complicated electrically and therefore emit higher fields…others say they’re fine. I really do need to research this further. Thank you for your question.
Thank you!
Halogen and incandescent bulbs do not give off dirty electricity like CFL’s and LED’s etc. The halogens in my home are not giving off dirty electricity. A professional with meters has done a lot of testing and remediating of our house. Hope this helps.
#1)
Incandescent are on the way out thanks to our *cough, cough* gov’t. so that is no longer an option.
#2)
as a firefighter, I have seen many thing that will cause a fire…one of them is a CFL lightbulb. yes, A CFL lightbulb will start a fire.
What happens is the CFL’s will work fine for a while, then one day, KABOOM! they will explode like a bomb, sending glass fragments everywhere & then the short circuit they cause burns the house down. I have banned CFL’s in my home & all out buildings.
#3)
this is by far, the safest, the cheapest & the longest lasting light bulb you can buy.
In an average home, this light bulb will cost you anywhere from $1.50 – $3.00 for 1 whole year. the cost to you depends on where you live…I live in the Midwest, so to buy the bulb, it costs between $15 & $20..then to operate the bulb, that cost about $1.60 for 1 whole year. there is no other bulb on the market anywhere that is that cheap to use.
Lifespan? the manufacturer claims 20 thousand hours…that figures out to about 17 years, figuring on about 3.5 hours a day.
name just 1 other kind of light bulb that can even come close.
LEDs are the ONLY light bulb used in my house.
no other kind is safer, longer lasting or cheaper to use than an LED.
Thanks for taking the time to comment! I’m not surprised to hear this – especially coming from a firefighter!
Hello, what are the safest led lights. Colors? Is blue the worst etc. please give all your knowledge about led please. Thanks.
Theresa,
The following is excerpted from an article by Dr. Joseph Mercola:
So, when buying LEDs, one way to get a healthier light is to look at the CRI. Sunlight is the gold standard and has a CRI of 100. So do incandescent light bulbs and candles. What you’re looking for is a light that has an R9 (full red spectrum) CRI of about 97, which is the closest you’ll ever get to a natural light with an LED. Another factor to look at is the color temperature. There are two different kinds of color temperature:
1. Physical color temperature, which means the temperature of your light in degrees Kelvin (K). This applies to sunlight, candlelight, incandescent lamp light and halogens. What this means is that the source itself is as hot to the touch as the color temperature given.
The sun, for example, which has a color temperature of 5,500 K, has a temperature of 5,500 K at its surface, were you to actually touch the sun. Incandescent lamps have a maximum of 3,000 K, as the filament would melt if the temperature got any higher.
2. Correlated color temperature. This is a measurement that tells you how the light source appears to the human eye. In other words, it is a comparative measurement. A correlated color temperature of 2,700 K means it looks the same as a natural light source with a physical color temperature of 2,700 K.
The problem here is that while such a light LOOKS the same as a natural light, it does not actually have the same quality, and your body, on the cellular level, is not fooled by what your eye sees. On a cellular level, and on the level of the retina, the majority of the light is still cold, bluish white, despite its apparent, visible warmth.
The entire article can be found here: Great question!
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/10/23/near-infrared-led-lighting.aspx
Yes! Finally an article I can share with all the people who thought I was crazy. Thank YOU!
I have been on a path of reading and testing EMF all around and have known about the health impact of CFL but no one would believe . So frustrating 🙁
We have none in our home!
So nice to hear from you, Carlyne. Yes, you’re anything but crazy!!
Yikes! I didn’t know about this. I know we use LED christmas lights {I don’t let the kids touch them and I use gloves to put them on the tree}, but I think all of our regular lights are CFL {we rent, so I haven’t really looked up into the light fixtures. Thanks for sharing this important info.
Very helpful! Such a great guide. We got rid of all extra lights years ago and most are LEDs now. Glad for more facts from you.
This is very helpful information and perfect timing! I’m forwarding it to my husband as he is actually in the market for switching up our lighting.
So glad to hear, Melissa.
Thank you for this well-researched post! I was so sad when the gov’t started discontinuing incandescent bulbs. We never made the switch to CFLs, however. I just couldn’t risk one of them breaking and the potential consequences that could have on my family.
Yes, that’s reason enough isn’t it? Thanks Lindsey.
Another amazing post. What does this mean.
“Note: If you must have CFL bulbs, choose the encapsulated double envelope versions rather than the open curly-wurly versions.”
What are double envelope versions?
This article shows one, Anna. Third image down.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluorescent_lamps_and_health
What an informative post! We never owned a CFL and never intend to. As we were nearing the end of our incandescents inventory (we intentionally stocked up as soon as we heard it would no longer be sold), we’re slowly switching to LEDs but I do miss the softer light of incandescent.
You were smart to stock up, Anya! Thanks for the feedback.
Wow, so great to see this further confirmation!! So far we have not had trouble finding incandescent light bulbs. I guess because they are made in other countries? (Hungary, Mexico) We purchase online.
Thanks for the very important and informative article.
Will light my nights accordingly.
Hi. I live in Europe and the incandescent light bulbs don’t exist here anymore. The Halogen bulbs are that the most safe as as incandescent bulbs since the LED ones also emmit much more radiation? Also in terms of toxicity of made materials are the halogen ones safe?
Thanks a lot for you help and congrats on your work
I know there are health concerns when it comes to halogen, but honestly haven’t explored this in detail.
Thank you for this article, Andrea. I was just looking into purchasing a desk lamp to provide lighting and was interested in the daylight lamps I was finding since this is for early morning (while dark) usage and I tend to be extremely groggy in the morning, as my body clock is extremely connected to daylight since my stachy exposure 8 years ago.
Are you aware of any daylight-simulating lamps that do not use CFL’s? The only other option I’ve found was Halogen. I’ve been planning to save up for a Lumie alarm clock (Halogen) for help in waking in the dark https://www.lighttherapysolutions.com/collections/dawn-dusk-simulator/products/dawn-simulator-lumie-bodyclock-active-250. Any thoughts on the best options for daylight-simulating lights?
Best health to you and your family.
Hi Andrea,
After leaving this comment, I started to dig further for a daylight-simulating incandescent option and was delighted to find Chromalux full spectrum light bulbs which are incandescent! I then found this super handy light simulating timer which is much, much less expensive than the options I was looking at: http://windhovermfg.com/model/308.
I’m thinking of finding a floor lamp to put in the opposite corner of our bedroom with this timer and light bulb, to try to keep the EMF near our bed lower. Hopefully this may help someone else who has this issue.
This is so helpful, Melanie! Thank you so much for sharing.
I’m not sure on this one, Melanie. I’ll have to look into this more. Thanks for adding the link.
Im more confused than when I started. I am already aware the old lights do not save any energy but it sounds like the new ones burn less but the light is a poor quality. The old ones are getting harder to find. I heard the pigtail ones have mercury in them. So is incandescent the best and LED the second best? Can you suggest a brand or something- it sounds like there are so many LEDs that are not really labeled as to what kind of light they emit. What should we look for in LED lights- rather what questions should we ask- and i realize no one at the store will know anymore than the local dog knows.
Yes, incandescent is the best and LED is next. I don’t know if I’d worry too much as long as you avoid CFL light bulbs.
Hello. I’m a mom to 5 children. I’m also taking steps to create a more healthy home environment for us. I’m wondering if you have any suggestions for safe reading lights for their bedroom? Because of the age of our house, there’s no way have reading lights next to their beds without using an extension cord. So, I’m ideally looking for something that uses an incandescent bulb, is wireless and is rechargeable. My only thought is a flashlight. Do you have any other thoughts? Thank you!
We use reading lights that are battery operated. I have also used camping headlights – flashlights that go around the head. I bet your kids would enjoy them.
I have been trying to find incandescent reading lights to no avail. Please post a link to one if possible. All I can find are the LED ones and they are way to bright, especially in the car at night. Thanks so much for a great article.
Good question. Have you tried these? These are replacement bulbs, but looks like they go with an older version of the Mighty Bright reader.
https://www.amazon.com/Mighty-Bright-Reader-Replacement-Light/dp/B0027EDL4O/ref=sr_1_1?s=lamps-light&ie=UTF8&qid=1524520863&sr=1-1&refinements=p_n_feature_browse-bin%3A389566011
Thanks for the interesting article on lighting and health. So glad I stocked up on 60 watt incandescent bulbs, have enough to last 30 years or more. Another point worth noteing is that incandescent lighting gives out infra red radiation which is beneficial to human health, will never use cfl or led in the house.
Thanks again for the interesting article……..Steve K
Could you please tell me what Internet service you use at home and on-the-go for your iPad? I want to do as you said, and turn off my Wifi and airplane mode. Thanks for your help and great tips!
We just use our local service and got them to show us how to turn on and off the WiFi as we desire. We just use WiFi wherever we go and forget about keeping it in airplane mode when out.