Fluorescent Lighting Part 2

In reading the comments to my first blog on this, a comment was posted regarding the "small amount of mercury" hit hard... that small amount can be deadly. Just the amount of mercury in a normal size fluorescent tube can contaminate 30,000 liters of water beyond a safe level for drinking...that's approximately 7917 gallons. I was horrified to read that she and others just dumped them in the dumpsters at work or with their regular trash. Yikes! Think of the magnitude of the damage if everyone is so nonchalant about this!!!

It was also mentioned that the fluorescent light was brighter. Well, there are issues with that: Over-illumination is a health hazard. "Health effects of over-illumination or improper spectral composition of light may include: increased headache incidence, worker fatigue, medically defined stress, decrease in sexual function and increase in anxiety." Also, the common levels of flourescent lighting in offices are sufficient to elevate blood pressure by EIGHT POINTS. Evidence has been gathered that suggests, again, that daily exposure to moderately high levels of light screw with sexual performance (that means diminish it, folks) as well as lead to increased stress and worker error. The part about decrease in sexual function should scare everyone. :) (Mmmm, brighter lights or better sex...which would you choose?)

Susan L. Burks, Managing your Migraine, Humana Press, New Jersey (1994) ISBN 0-89603-277-9
^ Cambridge Handbook of Psychology, Health and Medicine, edited by Andrew Baum, Robert West, John Weinman, Stanton Newman, Chris McManus, Cambridge University Press (1997) ISBN 0-521-43686-9
^ L. Pijnenburg, M. Camps and G. Jongmans-Liedekerken, Looking closer at assimilation lighting, Venlo, GGD, Noord-Limburg (1991)
^ Igor Knez, Effects of colour of light on nonvisual psychological processes, Journal of Environmental Psychology, Volume 21, Issue 2, June 2001, Pages 201-208
Craig DiLouie, Advanced Lighting Controls: Energy Savings, Productivity, Technology and Applications The Fairmont Press, Inc., (2006) ISBN 0-88173-510-8

AND on the vain side of things, putting on your make up in flourescent lighting SUCKS. People with blue eyes tend to have ruddier skin, which will be accentuated under the blue light that is emitted. However, people with brown eyes tend to see that their skin appears more yellow or green. Most people will concur that it washes them out or makes them look pasty. Many women compensate by applying extra blush or going heavier on their eye makeup, but wait until you get outside in natural light - you'll look garish or clown-like. The flourescent lighting also accentuates lines and shadowing, making under-eye circles appear to be more pronounced. Nice warm incandescent lighting is generally yellow or red, both of which have a softening effect on all colors. If you get a portrait done, either have it done in natural light or incandescent.

Need I even mention what fluorescent lighting in fitting rooms does? ICK! Think the mirrors are bad? It's mainly the lighting that is the problem. Let's just wash out the color in your whole body and accentuate things that you'd rather were left alone.

Al Gore once said, "``Third World nations are producing too many children too fast... it is time to ignore the controversy over family planning and cut out-of-control population growth...''. When asked how to go about this he suggested expanding birth control and abortion programs in developing countries. He also says, ""Clearly, it is time for a global effort to create everywhere on earth the conditions conducive to stabilizing population." - Al Gore, Earth in the Balance Explains why he is so hepped up about compact fluorescent lighting... diminished sex drive, less children. Ugly women in clownish makeup walking the streets with men whose daily exposure to over-illumination by florescent has led to erectile dysfunction, yeah, that ought to reduce the population. Think they'll go for it in the Third World? :)