OK, not really, I was just having my MSM moment of the day
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.
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.
In the U.S., 270,000 and 1.5 million people have lupus, making it more common than cystic fibrosis or cerebral palsy. The disease affects both females and males, though young women are diagnosed nine times more often than men. SLE occurs with much greater severity among African-American women.
Xeroderma Pigmentosum is not that common, occuring in about 1 out of every million people. So, around 300 people in the U.S.A. Kids with it are particularly vunerable.
It’s estimated that around 15 million in the USA have eczema. As far as prophyria goes, no one make any vampire jokes, OK?
So, now we have the danger and the cost of cleanup from the mercury in the bulbs combined with the danger to the skin of certain people. Wonderbar!
And, yes, I do use them in my home. Money savers, as long as you do not break them.
