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Can energy-saving lamps affect human health?

Press Release, GreenFacts asbl Print version

Brussels, 3 June 2009.  In the European Union, energy-saving lamps are increasingly replacing conventional light bulbs. However, some groups of patients, in particular “photo-sensitive” individuals, have claimed that the symptoms of their diseases are or could be aggravated by the presence of energy-saving compact fluorescent lamps. These claims have been explored in the recent opinion on Light Sensitivity by the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) of the European Commission.

At the request of the European Commission DG Health and Consumers, GreenFacts faithfully summarised this SCENIHR opinion on Light Sensitivity.

The plain-language summary is now available from the EU Directorate General of Health and Consumers (http://ec.europa.eu/health/opinions/en/energy-saving-lamps/) in four languages: English, French, Spanish and German. It is also available from GreenFacts (http://copublications.greenfacts.org/en/energy-saving-lamps/), a leading publisher of scientific information that was commissioned by the Directorate General to produce this and other summaries of scientific opinions.

Highlights of the SCENIHR Opinion on Light Sensitivity

The Scientific Committee examined the characteristics of energy-saving compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) in order to assess their possible contribution to the aggravation of symptoms of patients with certain diseases. The main causes for concern are the flickering, ultraviolet radiation, electromagnetic fields and blue light that these lamps produce. The Committee concluded that:

• There is no evidence showing that flicker and electromagnetic fields from compact fluorescent lamps pose a risk to the general population or to sensitive individuals.
  
  
• The only property of compact fluorescent lamps that could pose an added risk is the ultraviolet and blue light radiation emitted by such devices. In the worst case, these types of radiation could potentially aggravate symptoms in roughly 250 000 people across the EU (i.e. 1 in 2000 EU citizens) who already suffer from rare conditions that make them exceptionally sensitive to light.
  
  
• The glass envelope of compact fluorescent lamps filters out ultraviolet radiation but, in some cases, some UV radiation can get through. Individuals could receive significant amounts of ultraviolet radiation if they spend long periods of time near single-envelope compact fluorescent lamps  (at 20 cm or less), for instance when sitting next to a table lamp.
  
  
• The use of double-envelope energy-saving lamps or similar technology dramatically reduces the amount of UV radiation emitted and would mitigate risks both for the general population and for light-sensitive patients.  

About GreenFacts

GreenFacts asbl/vzw is an independent, multi-stakeholder non-profit organization based in Belgium. Our mission is to bring complex scientific reports on health and the environment to the reach of non-experts.

We publish two types of faithful summaries of scientific reports: GreenFacts Digests of scientific consensus reports (authorised by the GreenFacts Scientific Board), and GreenFacts Co-Publications (published at the request of contracting organizations). GreenFacts’ publications are freely available in several languages on www.greenfacts.org. Each publication is a faithful summary of an authoritative international scientific report.

GreenFacts was created in 2001 by individuals from scientific institutions, environmental and health organizations, and businesses, who called for wider access to unbiased information on health and the environment.

About the SCENIHR

The Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) was set up in 2004 by the European Commission to provide the Commission with unambiguous scientific advice on the safety of a series of issues requiring a comprehensive assessment of the risks, such as new technologies, medical devices, etc. The SCENIHR advice is intended to enable risk managers to take the adequate and required actions in order to guarantee consumer safety or public health.

The SCENIHR addresses questions concerning emerging or newly-identified risks and on broad, complex or multi-disciplinary issues such as antimicrobial resistance, nanotechnologies, tissue engineering, blood products, fertility reduction, cancer of endocrine organs, noise and electromagnetic fields.

About DG Health and Consumers

The role of Health and Consumers Directorate General of the European Commission is to make Europe’s citizens healthier, safer and more confident. Over the years the European Union has established EU laws on the safety of food and other products, on consumers' rights and on the protection of people's health. The DG Health and Consumers has the task of keeping these laws up to date.

It also ensures that the national, regional or even local governments in EU countries apply the EU's health and consumer protection laws and make sure traders, manufacturers and food producers in their country observe the rules.

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Stephanie Mantell
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press(at)greenfacts(dot)org