(Note from Erin: These apply to Compact fluorescent bulbs. Some are comfortable with LED while others say old fashioned full spectrum incandescent are the only way to go. We are 100% solar, drive electric cars powered by solar, but I do say you can use LED or halogen which do NOT have mercury in them. CFL is the real dangerous offender, if you’re concerned with the planet which I appreciate.)

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CFL Bulbs

Many of us in the effort to save energy and money, replaced our old standard light bulbs with environmentally-friendly with the new generation energy saving light bulbs.  However, the new generation of energy efficient light bulbs are so toxic that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency created an emergency protocol you need to follow in the event of a bulb breakage, due to the poison gas that is released. If  broken indoors, these light bulbs release 20 times the maximum acceptable mercury concentration into the air, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Fraunhofer Wilhelm Klauditz Institute for German’s Federal Environment Agency.

Energy Efficient Light Bulbs Can Cause:

  • Dizziness
  • Cluster headaches
  • Migraines
  • Seizures
  • Fatigue
  • Inability to concentrate
  • Anxiety

Energy Efficient Bulbs Cause Anxiety, Migraines, and Even Cancer. Reasons to Go Back To Incandescent Bulbs

1. Energy saving bulbs contain mercury. Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that is especially dangerous to children and pregnant women.

It is especially toxic to the brain, the nervous system, the liver and the kidneys. It can also damage the cardiovascular, immune and reproductive systems. It can lead lead to tremors, anxiety, insomnia, memory loss, headaches, cancer and Alzheimer’s .

2. Energy saving bulbs can cause cancer.

A new study performed by by Peter Braun at Berlin Germany’s Alab Laboratory found these light bulbs contain poisonous carcinogens that could cause cancer:

Phenol, a mildly acidic toxic white crystalline solid, obtained from coal tar and used in chemical manufacture (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenol).

Naphthalene, a volatile white crystalline compound, produced by the distillation of coal tar, used in mothballs and as a raw material for chemical manufacture (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naphthalene).

Styrene, an unsaturated liquid hydrocarbon, obtained as a petroleum byproduct(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Styrene).

3. Energy saving light bulbs emit a lot of UV rays.
Energy saving lamps emit UV-B and traces of UV-C radiation. It is generally recognized that UV-radiation is harmful for the skin (can lead to skin cancer) and the eyes.  The radiation from these bulbs directly attacks the immune system, and furthermore damages the skin tissues enough to prevent the proper formation of vitamin D-3.

In conclusion, these bulbs are so toxic that we are not supposed to put them in the regular garbage. They are household hazardous waste. If you break one in a house, you are supposed to open all of your windows and doors, and evacuate the house for at least 15 minutes to minimize your exposure to the poisonous gas. Unfortunately, soon consumers won’t have the option to buy incandescent lights because they won’t be available. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) mandates the phase-out of incandescent light bulbs, and favors energy-efficient compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs.