Health Canada launched a study in December to test compact fluorescent bulbs to see if they emit ultraviolet rays — less than two months after British health officials issued a public warning that, in proximity, the bulbs emit UV rays similar to outdoor exposure levels on a sunny summer day.
Pat McGrath
The federal government is reviewing the safety of energy-saving light bulbs, responding to concerns the low-cost green alternative may emit potentially harmful ultraviolet radiation.
Health Canada launched a study in December to test compact fluorescent bulbs to see if they emit ultraviolet rays - less than two months after British health officials issued a public warning that, in proximity, the bulbs emit UV rays similar to outdoor exposure levels on a sunny summer day.
The United Kingdom's Health Protection Agency now recommends people should not be closer than 30 centimetres from an energy-saving light bulb for more than one hour per day, since it is like exposing bare skin to direct sunlight. The agency warns the emissions could cause problems for people suffering from medical conditions like lupus.
In Canada, the bulbs have been widely promoted as an easy way to reduce greenhouse gases and are expected to replace incandescent bulbs by 2012 after a federal ban eliminates the inefficient bulbs altogether.
Robert Bradley, Health Canada's director of consumer and clinical radiation protection, said the increased use of energy-saving light bulbs across the country prompted the review. That it comes on the heels of media fanfare over the British study is coincidental, he said.
Bradley said researchers will test whether the bulbs emit any UV rays and, if so, how intense they are. He said it's important to ensure the compact fluorescent bulbs are as safe as the old standard fluorescent tube lights.
Bradley wouldn't speculate on whether the findings could jeopardize nationwide campaigns promoting the use of the light bulbs as a green alternative.
"It's not something we've announced outright and, quite frankly, at this point in time there really isn't a lot to announce," Bradley said during a phone interview from Ottawa Tuesday.
"I'd rather have some results we can analyze and determine what if any response is required."
Preliminary results will be available by late summer or early fall.
Manitoba Hydro promotes compact fluorescent bulbs as one of the best energy-efficiency investments, since they use 75 per cent less electricity and last up to eight times longer than incandescent bulbs. The utility first started public campaigns to get Manitobans to switch to the efficient light bulbs four years ago, and continues to offer special discounts and incentives for people who purchase them.
Hydro spokesman Glenn Schneider said the utility may have to change its energy-efficient lighting programs if the federal study unearths harmful emissions from the bulbs. Schneider said Hydro hasn't received any complaints about radiation or skin damage from the light bulbs and speculates that sensitivity to light is more common in Europe than North America.
"If there's something that turns up that is of concern, then we would have to reconsider our campaigns promoting those bulbs," he said. "But I think we'll wait to see if there are any results that confirm that concern."
Source: http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=1199852
