There has been a lot of controversy over this. All fluorescent bulbs use a ballast, which emits electromagnetic radiation. These bulbs have the ballast in the plastic base, instead of a metal housing as do the common ceiling fixtures (not that it makes any difference). Everything in your environment emits this radiation; the motor in your ceiling fan, the motor in your washing machine, etc. When you pass by an electrical substation, or under high tension transmission lines, the dose of radiation is massive and makes this amount paltry in comparison. There have been concerns that these electromagnetic fields from transmission lines can cause cancer. What concerns me about these bulbs is the mercury in them, which is still about 1/10th of what the old time tube fluorescents used to contain (that was reduced by law, which is why the bulb life has dropped like a stone). The main thing to watch out for with these bulbs is the following: A. if they are high wattage (over 40 watts) you want to be careful about how close you are to them; they also emit ultraviolet radiation, like the Sun; higher wattages like the 100 watt can be a concern, depending on proximity to the bulb, etc. B. some of these are rated to be used in a dimmer and some are not; using the wrong one can start a fire; C. when these things start to flicker, REPLACE THEM IMMEDIATELY for they can go bad and melt (and, smoke even) if they get too hot from the flickering (takes too long to explain this); D. do not put these into an air-tight fixture unless they are rated for it; almost NONE are. D. they are very energy efficient and provide a good return on investment when replacing an incandescent bulb. E. do not use outdoors unless they are approved for that use, and/or used in a fixture that protects them from rain and moisture. F. Stock up on incandescent bulbs NOW, more sizes are being outlawed by the Federal government every year, use LED which contain no mercury whenever you can budget for those high-priced things, and call Charles Dover at 1-800-697-5806 for price and availability.
Posted on: Tue, 01 Jul 2014 18:32:26 +0000
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