Much ado about Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs and radiation

This was precautionary advice. What the research by the Agency’s scientists found was that when very close (within 2 cm, or less than 1 inch) to some types of CFLs, the UV radiation level can be equivalent to that experienced outside in the UK on a sunny day in the summer. At a distance of 20 cm, 8 per cent of the CFLs tested exceeded health guidelines for UV radiation after an 8 hour period.

So some precaution is warranted, hence the advice to position the lamp at least 30 cm away from where you are sitting. And some people, such as those with lupus, are highly sensitive and should take additional precautions (similar to those they take with respect to exposure to sunlight).

But let’s not ignore the health benefits associated with using energy efficient bulbs. A CFL uses only one quarter the amount of power required by a traditional incandescent bulb. If this is eliminating the need for energy from a coal plant, it is reducing emissions of mercury, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and a host of other pollutants. Coal plants are also the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions globally – more than all of the cars and trucks combined.

And CFLs won’t be our only energy-saving option. New types of high-efficiency bulbs (like LEDs and silicon-based bulbs) are coming onto the market or under development, with the innovation driven by new tougher standards that will kick in by 2012.