Are compact fluorescent bulbs causing migraines?

Sure, we know you want to do your part for the planet and all that jazz, but what if conserving energy is killing you? Okay, well, it might not be killing you, but according to a new report out of the UK, it's possible that those new-fangled fluorescent bulbs everyone is telling you to buy these days may be aggravating your migraines, making you nauseous, or causing you physical pain (if you've got lupus). The Daily Mail says that because the bulbs work in the same fashion as typical fluorescent bulbs (which can be irritating to some), the subtle flickering inherent to the technology can cause problems. Britain's Migraine Action Association director Paul Jansen said, "For some people a migraine attack can be triggered by fluorescent lights, video screens, stroboscopic effects and flashing lights." And added that, "We hope that the Government will allow regular light bulbs still to be available to those who need them." On the flip side, compact fluorescent supporters say only older technology or low-energy bulbs have flickering issues, and that new models being produced are clear of problems. Surely that may be the case -- but we need something to blame this stabbing eye pain on.

[Via Switched]

[edocronian @ Jan 2nd 2008 9:13PM]

If the bulb, regardless of the underlying technology, is powered by AC, there will be inherent flicker due to the nature of the power supplied, since it alternates at 50hz (your frequency may vary).

Seriously, if you get migranes (and I do), its nothing to do with the bulb. Its the power that flows through it.

DC LED's FOR ALL!

It is also worth noting that the Daily Mail isnt worth using as toilet paper, and panders to angry old folks who think we should implement the final solution on everyone. Readers Beware.

[Chuckles McGee @ Jan 2nd 2008 9:31PM]

Yeah, I also suffer from light-induced migraines. Really, it's just the intensity of the bulb that triggers it, I think.

[Chuckles McGee @ Jan 2nd 2008 9:31PM]

Yeah, I also suffer from light-induced migraines. Really, it's just the intensity of the bulb that triggers it, I think.

[Andrew @ Jan 2nd 2008 9:35PM]

Regular bulbs have a filament that heats up. The gaps in between waves of current are smaller than the amount of time for the filament to cool down enough to go dark, or even be noticable. If you were even to take a high speed camera to an incandescent bulb, it would show a steady stream of light output. Fluorescent bulbs take a while to heat up, so for the first few seconds they're on they tend to show the flicker.

[Malren @ Jan 2nd 2008 10:54PM]

"Seriously, if you get migranes (and I do), its nothing to do with the bulb."

Not *entirely* true. Incandescent bulbs flicker erratically (or not at all) based on the cleanliness of your power, but ALL fluorescent tech has a fixed cycle rate. That is why my wife has a seizure when exposed to them for too long. It's the patterned cycling that sets her off.

If the government outlaws old bulbs we will simply have to be criminals.

[chrisrigatti @ Jan 3rd 2008 1:07AM]

Modern fluorescents (and certainly any compact fluorescents) use electronic ballasts that switch at around 50 *thousand* hertz.

Unless you're a fly, I don't think you'll see much flicker from that.

Near the end of the lamps usable life it may flicker as it's dying, but that's about it.

[James Cameron @ Jan 2nd 2008 11:44PM]

These lightbulbs might not give me migraine but it sure does make me feel totally gross out because it give off very bad lighting in a room.

[Josh @ Jan 3rd 2008 12:51PM]

Really? I think they give rooms a more natural white lighting that is quite a bit more neutral than regular bulbs that have a warm tint.

[Jhongerkong @ Jan 2nd 2008 9:17PM]

Good thing that legend was there or I wouldve never known what those red things are!

[aguiluz @ Jan 2nd 2008 10:19PM]

To detect flicker, I use a cell phone camera (a Sony Ericsson K700i) and I point it to the lamp. You will see scrolling lines if it has flicker.

To test if a camera is sensitive to flicker, point it to a CRT screen. It should have black lines running through it.

The thicker the black lines, the worse the flicker is.

I use that flicker test when buying LCDs and TVs.

[John Russell @ Jan 2nd 2008 10:51PM]

I actually have a surprisingly low-tech way to easily detect flickering lights. This is easiest to see with CRT monitors, TVs, and the like. Just look at the light source and buzz your lips. This will normally cause your head to vibrate out of sync with the light, making flicker easily detectable.

[Spencer @ Jan 2nd 2008 10:57PM]

Really? I thought everyone knew red lightning was the international symbol for "Migraine rays"

Next you'll be telling me you don't know what the symbol is for "tinfoil hats must be worn at all times"!

[Bobs @ Jan 3rd 2008 12:39AM]

Or an even simpler way, eat chips and salsa, they bounce your head and the image wobbles around, and you solve 2 issues, is there a lot of flicker? are the chips and salsa any good?

[CaptSaltyJack @ Jan 3rd 2008 10:48AM]

"I actually have a surprisingly low-tech way to easily detect flickering lights. This is easiest to see with CRT monitors, TVs, and the like. Just look at the light source and buzz your lips. This will normally cause your head to vibrate out of sync with the light, making flicker easily detectable."

Shopper: BBBBVVBVBBVVVVBVBVVVVVBBVBBV.
Employee 1: What the fuck is he doing?
Employee 2: Shopping for a new TV.

[henry @ Jan 2nd 2008 9:17PM]

i suffer from migraines and my entire house has been fitted with these new bulbs. no troubles here.
the lights are fabulous by the way... i love not having to change them every couple months. and they dont heat up a room during summer like regular bulbs do (i live in arizona)

[Wayne @ Jan 2nd 2008 10:40PM]

Same here. I replaced all our bulbs last year and I suffer from migraines. The bulbs have zero effect on migraines.

[Ghen @ Jan 3rd 2008 9:26AM]

I don't suffer from migraines and I have an old fluorescent lighting system in my basement. The stuff flickers like mad and I love it, makes me feel like Dr. Frankenstein.

[Will McGree @ Jan 2nd 2008 9:19PM]

That said, this no doubt staunchly defended claim (or, more fairly, hypothesis) *has* come from the Daily Mail (and possibly later its paramilitary wing, the Daily Express with a headline such as "Diana killed by phantom mind ray light bulbs? Shock report inside pages 3-19" or something).

As a potential insider into British society (insofar as I am British and exhibit social tendencies), I might inform the less enlightened readers that the Daily Mail's manifesto includes topics like:

- immigration
- council tax
- wheelie bins (don't ask)
- house prices
- the subprime "sweet-baby-Moses-on-stilts-we're-all-doomed" crisis
- other angry Middle England, right-ish ideas

Oh, and the idea that Wi-Fi in schools may (disclaimer: or may not) be killing children.

So there.

[Andrew @ Jan 2nd 2008 9:39PM]

Whats a wheelie bin?

[Will McGree @ Jan 2nd 2008 9:51PM]

http://tinyurl.com/24h3mq

[Andrew @ Jan 2nd 2008 10:00PM]

And that is what the Germans are planting bugs in, eh? Lol. I think I'll go ahead and disregard this particular blog post.

[Eldiablo @ Jan 3rd 2008 9:01AM]

Yup, Daily Mail believe's we're all doomed. We are, but shhh...

Also, don't let them know that Phillips have a lighting factory in Poland. Damn them poles floating over in their wheelie bins, taking all our council houses and dead-end jobs, and giving us all headaches with their new fangled lightbulbs...

[blitzkrieg999 @ Jan 2nd 2008 9:20PM]

Agreed with 1, Daily Mail isn't worth the paper its printed on

[waiownsyou @ Jan 2nd 2008 9:23PM]

Stabbing eye pain? Read: Sword.

[Jeremy K. @ Jan 2nd 2008 9:24PM]

I'm all for saving energy and such, but fluorescent bulbs still cannot compare to the warmth of incandescent and the brightness of a nice halogen torchiere (yes I know they're very unsafe).

[Andrew @ Jan 2nd 2008 9:40PM]

I've switched to all halogen, and I'd beg to differ. Maybe it has something to do with my lampshades and light fixtures, but my lighting is very warm throughout the house.

[Andrew @ Jan 2nd 2008 9:41PM]

Gah, I meant fluorescent. There goes my credibility!

[blarvh @ Jan 3rd 2008 8:08AM]

Last time these lights were discussed here someone said that that warm color is unnatural and we've just gotten used to it.

It must be true since it's written on the internet.

[Tash Kavarish @ Jan 2nd 2008 9:25PM]

Maybe I was unlucky and had a defective unit but one of those 'safe and eco-friendly' compact bulbs litterally shattered. I had just turned the lights on and it split apart, I found pieces all over the room, including one on my hand. It had impacted enough to draw blood (not too seriously). Still, I've since gone back to regular bulbs that have never once blown up.

[Chris Macdonald @ Jan 2nd 2008 9:31PM]

Well I think It'd be pretty safe to say an exploding lightbulb could cause a migraine... ;)

[DarkLightConnection @ Jan 2nd 2008 9:53PM]

I had a regular bulb exploding on me

No, really, it exploded on me, thankfully it didn't fall on me (it was the one farther apart from the switch)... but still for some weird reason I'm with you: I trust incandescent bulbs more than fluorescent.. I have fluorescent bulbs all over my house (yes I know, the one that exploded was on a room we use as warehouse on the backyard) and while I agree that the light quality isn't the same and it is a bit scary when they blink while off (because of the kind of switches I have), the savings have been noticeable.. specially now that prices are constantly going up here at Mexico

[Jim @ Jan 2nd 2008 10:25PM]

I've had more than a few regular bulbs blow up. Try placing them outside, getting it to 0 degrees (F) and turning them on. Once they are old, they blow - at least once in a while.

[Andrew @ Jan 3rd 2008 12:03AM]

I've seen my share of fluorescent bulbs shatter. At my old job someone had the insight to declare some low rafters in a storage area a good location for the boxes of 8' fluorescent bulbs, so your options for getting them down was to bring it down opening first and hold them in, which was more dangerous but more convenient due to how full the room was and tended to be done more often because the last person to put the box back up there always put it in backwards, or you could fight your way through the clutter and take it down closed end first, and hope you didn't drop the whole box.

I had 2 of them slip past my hand and shatter on impact, and I saw a fair number of other (read:shorter) people do it a heck of a lot more often.

It sucked because the glass from the breakage is so fine, it's a pain to clean up.

[Reader @ Jan 2nd 2008 9:34PM]

These are the same people that say EM waves give them headaches... not gonna put much faith into this study.

[James @ Jan 2nd 2008 9:35PM]

I wouldn't know. I just use asbestos-burning lightbulbs. They take 50 times the energy, but they give off a nice scent.

[michas_pi @ Jan 2nd 2008 9:50PM]

Asbestos: add some fiber to your diet

[jbhitter24 @ Jan 2nd 2008 9:35PM]

i tend to find flourescent light a bit annoying.

[Andrew @ Jan 2nd 2008 9:39PM]

I've switched to all halogen, and I'd beg to differ. Maybe it has something to do with my lampshades and light fixtures, but my lighting is very warm throughout the house.

[Dylan K @ Jan 2nd 2008 9:42PM]

IT'S NOT LUPUS

[steve @ Jan 2nd 2008 9:56PM]

I guess not, but what relevance does that have here? I love house as much as the next guy, but you're just being ridiculous.

[steve @ Jan 2nd 2008 9:56PM]

nevermind, i found the reference, but still...

[Eh @ Jan 2nd 2008 10:18PM]

People just need their tonsils taken out.

[daedric @ Jan 2nd 2008 9:45PM]

If you have pets, you probably shouldn't get these bulbs anyways, because these bulbs cause noises that we can't hear, but our pets can. So if having a constant loud noise for several hours is bad to you, it's probably bad for the pets too. People should probably google for more information.

[Big John @ Jan 2nd 2008 9:51PM]

Outside of a couple of whackjob bloggers, would you care to enlighten us instead of telling us just to "google it"?

[m @ Jan 2nd 2008 9:53PM]

you're an idiot, and not just for reading fox business. that article is tagged "humor."

http://www.foxbusiness.com/blog.html?bbPostId=Cz5Ev0JdU2gZtB5hCCYBscaP5Cz3ZHnsaXvJEvB92ZUNs68gKc

[Anthony @ Jan 2nd 2008 11:06PM]

I remember reading a study years ago about the sound of fluorescents causing irritability/headaches- not the flicker.

I thought that modern bulbs didn't have that high pitched sound.

Maybe they just went higher pitched.

[daedric @ Jan 11th 2008 2:43AM]

Actually, the blogger was just putting humor into it, and no, I didn't read it on Fox business. It's a fact that CFL bulbs operate in a high frequency, and that is exactly why they are more energy efficient. They can range from 20khz to 100khz. m, since I'm an idiot, is there something wrong with the science being described that I should know? I would like to hear what you have to say.

[EdMercer @ Jan 2nd 2008 9:46PM]

I have not a single incandescent bulb in my home for a whole year now and I can tell you it hasn't made me any more or less migrane-prone. Plus the ammount of energy I save with the electronic bulbs allows me to have air conditioning on in a regular basis (Brazilian weather varies from "hot and dry" to "very hot and wet").

[Big John @ Jan 2nd 2008 9:48PM]

Man, those florescent bulbs of over your head all these years in supermarkets etc. must have been crippling you!

Also, what kind of non-story is this? I don't see anything besides anecdotal evidence here. Give me a peer-reviewed study and I'll be inclined to believe it.

[Malren @ Jan 3rd 2008 2:49PM]

Actually, smartass, my wife can't spend more than 15-20 minutes in a store without having a seizure. It's not the fun fucking joke you'd like to think it is.