Feb 13, 2008 5:53 am US/Mountain
Energy Efficient Light Bulbs May Cause Headaches
Written For The Web By Libby Smith, CBS4 Special Projects Producer
DENVER (CBS4) ―
In December, President Bush signed a new energy bill into law that calls for the phasing out of incandescent light bulbs by the year 2012. Stores will not be allowed to sell the old bulbs that are cheaper but less energy efficient. Instead the emphasis will be on compact fluorescents and new L.E.D. light bulbs.
The move to the new light bulbs could be a problem for millions of migraine suffers. For years, migraine suffers have made the connection between their headaches and fluorescent lighting.
"Three-quarters of patients will report that their migraine headaches are either triggered or possibly worsened with the presence of fluorescent lighting," Dr. Victoria Pelak, neurologist at the University of Colorado - Denver School of Medicine, told CBS4.
Now, British researchers say even the new compact fluorescent bulbs can cause migraines.
"So it's either the wavelength and the amount of short verses long wavelength within fluorescent lighting, or it's this flickering component, that we actually can't see but it's there," Pelak added.
Advocates of the greener compact fluorescent bulbs say the quality of the bulbs has improved so much that flicker is not an issue. Further researcher would need to be done to see if there is some other impact the lights are having on migraine suffers.
"It's a much bigger issue than what's being paid attention to in terms of cost and potential increased cost for migraine suffers in the workplace," Pelak said.
Researchers estimate time lost in the workplace costs as much as 17 million dollars a year.
Dr. Pelak says that so far she hasn't heard much from her patients about the new law, she thinks they may not be aware of it. She says that in the face of having no choice but to buy fluorescent lights, migraine suffers should try to control all their other risk factors to prevent the headaches from coming on.
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