BBC News 5 Jan 08;
The Environment Agency has called for more information to be made available on the health and environmental risks posed by low-energy light bulbs.
It says because the bulbs contain small amounts of mercury, more information about safe recycling is needed.
It also wants health warnings printed on packaging and information on how to clear up smashed bulbs in the home.
But a toxicologist has played down the risks, saying several bulbs would have to be smashed at once to pose a danger.
Toxic substance
Environmental scientist Dr David Spurgeon said: "Because these light bulbs contain small amounts of mercury they could cause a problem if they are disposed of in a normal waste-bin.
"It is possible that the mercury they contain could be released either into the air or from land-fill when they are released into the wider environment.
"That's a concern, because mercury is a well known toxic substance."
Official advice from the Department of the Environment states that if a low-energy bulb is smashed, the room needs to be vacated for at least 15 minutes.
A vacuum cleaner should not be used to clear up the debris, and care should be taken not to inhale the dust.
Instead, rubber gloves should be used, and the broken bulb put into a sealed plastic bag - which should be taken to the local council for disposal.
Unbroken used bulbs can be taken back to the retailer if the owner is a member of the Distributor Takeback Scheme.
Otherwise, many local waste disposal sites now have the facilities to safely collect and dispose of old bulbs.
However, this advice is not printed on the packaging that low-energy bulbs are sold in.
Toxicologist Dr David Ray, from the University of Nottingham, said about 6-8mg of mercury was present in a typical low-energy bulb, which he described as a "pretty small amount".
"Mercury accumulates in the body - especially the brain," he said. "The biggest danger is repeated exposure - a one off exposure is not as potentially dangerous compared to working in a light bulb factory.
"If you smash one bulb then that is not too much of a hazard. However, if you broke five bulbs in a small unventilated room then you might be in short term danger."
Information campaign
Adrian Harding of the Environment Agency said: "More information does need to be made available by retailers, local authorities and the government to alert people to the best way of dealing with these products when they become waste."
Louise Molloy from the environmental group Greenpeace said that a public information campaign was needed in order to advise people how to dispose of low-energy bulbs safely.
But she added: "Rather than being worried about the mercury these light bulbs contain, the general public should be reassured that using them will actually reduce the amount of mercury overall in our atmosphere."
The lighting industry and the government say the risk of mercury pollution posed by low-energy bulbs is minimal.
Kevin Verdun of the Lighting Association said: "Fluorescent strips, like the ones used in garages and kitchens, also contain mercury and have been used for many years without poisoning anyone."
But he said that warnings on how to safely dispose of smashed bulbs "might" be put on packaging in future, if the government and the public demanded it.
This month shops in the UK will begin the process of phasing out traditional tungsten bulbs as part of a government plan to completely replace them by 2011.
Ministers hope that using the more environmentally-friendly bulbs will save at least save 5m tonnes-worth of carbon dioxide emissions every year.
Low-energy bulbs 'worsen rashes'
BBC News 4 Jan 08;
The switch to energy-saving light bulbs may put thousands at risk of painful skin reactions, health charities warn.
Fluorescent bulbs can exacerbate skin rashes in people with photosensitive skin conditions, experts said.
The government is planning to prevent the sale of conventional bulbs by 2011 to cut carbon dioxide emissions.
Several groups including the British Association of Dermatologists called for exemptions to allow those affected to continue using traditional bulbs.
But representatives of the lighting industry said there would be alternatives to fluorescent lighting available.
Health conditions which can involve some form of light sensitivity, include the auto-immune disease lupus, the genetic disorder Xeroderma Pigmentosum (XP), certain forms of eczema and dermatitis, photosensitivity, and porphyria.
It has been estimated about 100,000 people in the UK with these skin conditions will be affected.
Spectrum - an alliance of charities that support people with light sensitive conditions - says they have also been contacted with people suffering from ME who have had bad reactions to fluorescent light.
Other groups have warned that low-energy bulbs, which use approximately a quarter of the energy of conventional bulbs, cause migraines and increase the risk of seizures in people with epilepsy.
Phase-out
Conventional or "incandescent" bulbs are being phased out in a voluntary agreement with retailers and will no longer be on sale from December 2011.
Campaigners want people who have light sensitive conditions to be able to continue to buy conventional bulbs for their homes.
They warned that employers must also be able to purchase incandescent lighting as employees have a right to such adjustments under the terms of the Disability Discrimination Act.
Andrew Langford, chief executive officer of the Skin Care Campaign, one of the charities involved, said: "Incandescent light bulbs are the only source of electric light for many thousands of people with light sensitive conditions.
"Add to this the thousands of people whose conditions or treatments may secondarily cause them to be light sensitive, and you have a large number of people potentially being isolated in the dark.
"We certainly don't want to say no to greener bulbs just that other bulbs need to be available.
"It's hard for people to understand what it's like to live with one of these conditions."
He also called for a government-funded study into the effects of fluorescent lighting on photosensitive conditions as little research had been done to date.
"We have the anecdotal information - it's a shame people don't listen to those affected.
Dr Colin Holden, President of the British Association of Dermatologists, said: "It is important that patients with photosensitive skin eruptions are allowed to use lights that don't exacerbate their condition.
"It is essential that such patients are able to protect themselves from specific wavelengths of light emitted by fluorescent bulbs, especially as they are often trapped indoors because they can't venture out in natural sunlight."
Kevin Verdun, chief executive of the lighting association said only two-thirds of incandescent bulbs were being phased out.
"These things have been taken into consideration and there will be bulbs they can still use.
"There are also halogen bulbs and LED bulbs coming in in the next two or three years."
Low-energy bulbs 'cause migraine'
BBC News 2 Jan 08;
Energy-saving light bulbs could trigger migraines, say campaigners.
The Migraine Action Association says members have told them how fluorescent bulbs have led to attacks.
The government is set to prevent the sale of conventional light bulbs within the next four years in a bid to cut carbon dioxide emissions.
Concerns have already been raised by epilepsy charities about an increased risk of seizures from energy-saving bulbs.
Some bulbs use similar technology to fluorescent strip lights, and some users have complained that there can be a "flickering" effect.
They use approximately a quarter of the energy of conventional bulbs, and in September, Environment Secretary Hilary Benn said that a voluntary agreement with retailers would remove all conventional bulbs from the shops by December 2011.
However, Karen Manning, from the Migraine Action Association, said this could be damaging to some sufferers.
She said that up to six million people in the UK suffer from some sort of migraine attack.
"These bulbs do trigger migraines for some of our members - it's either the flickering, or the low intensity of the light, causing eye strain.
"We would ask the government to avoid banning them completely, and still leave some opportunity for conventional bulbs to be purchased."
Old technology
However, the Lighting Association, which represents bulb manufacturers, said that the latest energy-saving bulbs did not produce a flicker.
A spokesman said: "A small number of cases have been reported by people who suffer from reactions to certain types of linear fluorescent lamps.
"These were almost certainly triggered by old technology."
Last year the charity Epilepsy Action reported that a small number of people with the illness could have seizures triggered by low-energy bulbs.
