Now that global warmingists are getting governments like the UK and the US to ban incandescent lightbulbs, we're hearing some inconvenient accusations about the bulbs. This time, a January 3 article in the UK's Telegraph said the bulbs may cause migraines (h/t NB reader Linda).
The UK's Migraine Action Association reported that some of its members say the bulbs trigger the headaches. As a result, they want an exception for health reasons included in the UK's ban on traditional incandescent bulbs.
Global warmingists claim that using fluorescent bulbs will reduce carbon emissions and help to stop anthropogenic global warming, but the Telegraph explained the bulbs may be a problem (bold mine):
Several versions use a technology similar to fluorescent strip lights and some migraine sufferers say they produce a flickering effect that triggers their condition.
Karen Manning, from the MAA, said: "When the Government announced that traditional light bulbs would be phased out, we were inundated with over 200 calls and emails from members who said the flickering had caused migraines.
"This is a debilitating condition which can often leave people bed-ridden for days.
"The bulbs do not necessarily affect every sufferer, but we are talking about up to six million people in the UK who suffer migraines - so this is a serious concern.
"We would ask the Government to avoid banning them completely and leave some opportunity for conventional bulbs to be purchased."
Of course, the people who make the bulbs disagree:
The Lighting Association, which represents manufacturers, denied that modern designs produced a flicker.
A spokesman said: "A small number of cases have been reported by people who suffer from reactions to certain types of linear fluorescent lamps. These were almost certainly triggered by old technology."
Migraine sufferers aren't the only people voicing concerns about mandatory usage of fluorescent bulbs. The article also explained that in addition to the few retro-environmentalists who haven't moved on to global warming and still worry about no-longer-trendy toxic chemicals, people with lupus and epilepsy have concerns.
It's always difficult to determine whether claims like these are valid, but this is what happens when governments make sweeping bans on something that is so pervasive in society.
*In the first sentence, replaced replaced "fluorescent" with "incandescent."
*Image Getty via the Telegraph
Lynn contributes to NewsBusters and can be reached at tvisgoodforyou2 AT y a h o o D O T c o m (minus spaces)
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If there are 6 million
January 4, 2008 - 08:19 ET by motherbeltIf there are 6 million people in the UK affected, how many do you think that will extrapolate to here?
What are a few billion migraines when the fate of the earth is in jeopardy??? They can suck it up for the good of the environment!
OK, so the next step will be having to get a doctor's note certifying the condition, to be allowed to buy incandescent bulbs. And they still haven't solved the disposal problem for the fluorescent bulbs either, have they? Do they really think people are going to take all their bulbs to "recycling center" if they do? The only solution will be to require people to turn in their used bulbs to buy new ones. More restrictions and rules.
Anyone who had babies in the 70's will remember this. The government nanny decided that all kid's pajamas had to be made from fire-retardant material. Enter the treated fabric. A few years later they discovered that the chemical they were using was a carcinogenic.
Witness airbags: required in every car now. And now they come with a warning that they may kill you. Does the government say "You know, might not have been a great idea." ? Nope, they require that children ride in the back seat. New law after new law to repair the problems created by the previous law.
This is where we are going with the bulbs.
OK, I'm ranting, I'll stop now and go get another cup of coffee. LOL
Coffee is Evil
January 4, 2008 - 09:54 ET by HeikiMB:
There's gotta be a report on coffee that outlines why you're a capiitalist/globalist pig who is mercilessly exploiting Juan Valdez. How DARE you have disposable income!!!
}}---> heiki
January 4, 2008 - 10:03 ET by Cool ArrowI think Juan Valdez changed his name to Pablo Escobar some years back.
I ♣ My Seal
last time he was seen
January 4, 2008 - 13:08 ET by wizardjrThe last reported siting of Juan Valdez was in Cannes flying in on his private 757 for the film festival. It seems he 'suddenly' got rich about the time the coca leaves next to the coffee beans came into style in America. :-))
AGW does cause
January 4, 2008 - 07:35 ET by taterAGW does cause headaches...it makes my head hurt every time the media tries to hype it up as real threat, then tells us to buy these products.
Do you realize how much it costs to run for office? More than any honest man could afford. -Montgomery Burns
Typical cow fart
January 4, 2008 - 07:57 ET by American TaxpayerBanning light bulbs does not go far enough, beans and cows should be banned as well. A typical cow fart contains green house gases that are 25 times worse than CO2 according to Nobel reciepiant Al Gore. Unless we all take ownership of big Al's problem we are doomed the cow farts not to mention moose farts will cover the entire planet and kill us all. If only we could take our collective carban foot print and close Big Al's mouth with it that would reduce CO2 emmisions by at least 50%.
Al Whore : Spiritual Derelict
January 4, 2008 - 11:10 ET by thoridflyRomans 1:17-22 and 25
(17) For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith : as it is written, "The just shall live by faith [pistis - by BELIEVING ... in God, His Word, and the Lord Jesus Christ]."
(18) For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold down [katecho - who suppress] the truth in unrighteousness;
(19) Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them [GOD takes care of the "global" environmental issues, not Man ... OR Al Gore]; for God hath showed it unto them [Psalm 47:9, Genesis 8:22, 1 Timothy 6:20-21, Psalm 94:20, Colossians 2:20-22].
(20) For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world [since Genesis 1:1] are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse [Al Gore has had more than 50 years to confess the Lord Jesus Christ, but his God and his Lord is the environment and "global" warming]:
(21) Because that, when they knew God [if Al Gore has EVER known God], they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful [have you EVER heard Al Gore express ONE WORD of gratitude to God or for Jesus Christ?]; but became vain in their imaginations ["global" warming is not only a myth it's something that half the globe COULD USE], and their foolish heart was darkened.
(22) Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools [blithering liberal idiots],
(25) Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature [ktisis - creation ... nature ... the environment] more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
Don't you mean ...
January 4, 2008 - 09:25 ET by thoridfly... incandescent bulbs? Aren't they trying to ban the ordinary light bulb (not fluorescent bulbs)?
Anyway, what environmental wackoes REALLY want is to ban humans ... nothing would give them greater pleasure than to wipe Man off the face of the earth (everyone except themselves, of course).
LIGHT BULBS...
January 4, 2008 - 10:12 ET by danybhoyFluorescent bulbs are unhealthy in general. Migraines aside, I find the light from fluorescent bulbs sort of depressing. There is something about it not quite right. Glenn Beck has gone off about them & I agree with him on this. I hate them.
Also, if you give a damn about the environment, you would avoid fluorescents. Break one, & you need a HASMAT suit. The mercury in them is more then harmfull to people or pets if one breaks, nice. They are a rip off, they don't last as long as those pimping them say.
So, the only option to regular bulbs is not fluorescent bulbs, but LED bulbs. They cost more, but are actually cost effectve in the long run. They also don't give you a headache, not me anyway.
"Some of us are wise, some of us are otherwise" Mark Levin
Anyone who says they
January 4, 2008 - 10:40 ET by kathleenirishAnyone who says they support the troops but not the mission is a liar.
Here I was thinking it was just the Main Stream Migraine, I mean, Media, causing my pain.
Seriously, I hate those flourescent crappy bulbs, and so do the people who promote them. And, if Al Gore's hypocrisy is any indication, they probably use the incandescents themselves. It's just us 'little people' who need to switch.
Lupus
January 4, 2008 - 10:58 ET by RoussePeople with lupus can be extremely sensitive to fluorescent lighting. They generally stay holed up in their homes. Now even their homes won't be safe.
CFL's not the best choice
January 4, 2008 - 11:29 ET by richb313Actually I think that CFL's do provide a good step towards more energy efficient bulbs. LED types are much better, but I can't even find them locally. I think it is totally stupid to mandate the removal of incandascent bulbs. Instead a more reasonable approach would have been to apply a cafe type standard to the device. How about a 40 watt maximum per socket and a 100 watt restriction per fixture. This would have either required the manufactures to either improve the existing technology or replace it with a better one.
I do not as a rule like government mandates about most anything, but a reduction in energy consumption is always a good thing. Not because of any reason other than economic. If something can be done equally well for less money (energy, you have to pay for it) it is usually best to go with that solution.
I changed to energy efficient lamps because I wanted to reduce my electric bill. The right reason to change, and no one forced me to do it. I would have preferred LED lamps because they use the least amount of energy and last at least 10 to 100 time as long as CFL's.
CFLs not a good choice
January 4, 2008 - 11:34 ET by LeonRich,
CFL's are not a good choice. Especially if you have children.
CFL's have an excessively dangerous level of mercury in them. If they break, you literally have to have an environmental remediation company come to your house to clean up the highly toxic mess.
CFLs are a great example of what happens when Enviro-Nuts get wacky without doing their research. Sure they might save you some bucks and save the world some energy, but do you want to risk poisoning your children, yourselves, or your pets?
Mercury is a seriously potent Neurotoxin.
LEDs are the only way to go.
Ban government meddling.
January 4, 2008 - 12:21 ET by mattmBan government meddling.
STFU
January 4, 2008 - 13:39 ET by Shooter1002STFU, its for the common good!
Lamps
January 4, 2008 - 13:55 ET by ChaitealoverWhat are we supposed to do with our exsisting lamps when incandescents are banned? Every twistee fluorescent bulb I've seen in stores has a single wattage, but every lamp in my house, except my desk lamp, is a 3-way. Am I supposed to go out and buy all new lamps so I can use these things?
I have poor eyesight and find fluorescent bulbs bad for reading. I need bright and clear light, which the twistees don't offer. What are people like me supposed to do? I would ask if the writers of the new law even gave a thought to people with vision problems, but it's obvious the only people they thought about were the light bulb manufacturers.
Chai
“Why is it that liberals seem to believe that recycling cans is an important issue, but defeating terrorism isn’t? Why do they put so much stock in the blathering of Al Gore and Michael Moore?... What is wrong with these people?”—Burt Prelutsky
I'm going to be rich
January 4, 2008 - 15:36 ET by oregon_jiimI am going to start stock piling incandescent bulbs and resell them next year as ultra high priced prescription bulbs.
Migraines
January 4, 2008 - 16:06 ET by tymanMy wife regularly gets migraines from flourescent bulbs. So there is some truth to this. All of these bulbs do in fact blink to a certain extent.
Making solar affordable.
January 5, 2008 - 04:22 ET by RazmatazNo doubt that global warming is very debated. I, however, have never heard that man is causing global cooling. For this - all I can say is that I hope that the people that believe this is natural are not wrong. But if man is causing at least part of the problem then why not do all we can. One thing not in dispute is that we cannot continue to use non-renewable sources on energy forever.
Are you familiar with the ground floor movement to take solar to the masses by a company called Citizenre? They are trying market solar with an approach similar to satellite TV, cellular telephones, and alarm systems. That is to provide the customer a complete solar system with no upfront charges and make money from a service contract. In this case the service contract would be a rent agreement. They intend to put a complete solar system on clients home. When the system produces electricity, it will lower the bill from the current utility provider. In most cases the savings from the lower bill will more than cover the rent fee that the company intends to charge. The company currently has no product available but intends to deploy in the middle of 2008. They are currently taking reservations and have over 26,000 takers so far. I have written several articles on this company in my blog and even have a couple of videos that I have recorded at www.solarjoules.com. Feel free to take a look. I welcome comments. As in any start up business, a chance exists that they may never get off the ground and fulfill any preorders, but if this is the case - the potential client has not lost anything. If you cannot afford the upfront cost of solar today, this may turn out to be a great alternative. This solution would mean that we could produce at least a little less pollution and would be a great step "just in case". And hey, the fact that you will save money on your electricity bill over time is a pretty good reason to look into it as well.
If anyone would like company information you can go to www.jointhesolution.com/razmataz.