Photobiological safety of the recently introduced energy efficient household lamps.

OBJECTIVES: Nowadays more and more newly introduced light sources (tungsten-halogen, compact fluorescent (CFL) and light-emitting diode (LED) lamps) are used in households. It is important to know whether their radiation poses any possible risk for human health or not. These light sources emit optical radiation not solely in the visible spectrum. Other bands emitted by these sources, i.e., ultraviolet and infrared, are potentially hazardous for human health. The visible light, especially the blue light, could also damage human retina. The purpose of this study was to determine the ultraviolet (UV) and blue light (BL) emissions from halogen bulbs, CFLs and LED lamps, and to evaluate them from the point of view of possible health risks for general public.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: The exposure of UV and BL emissions from 19 types of CFLs, 11 types of halogen lamps and 4 types of LED lamps produced by different manufacturers were measured at 200 mm distance from the source.

RESULTS: The exposures to UV and BL were below the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) exposure limits in spite of the very conservative assumption of the assessment.

CONCLUSIONS: Results of this study indicate that the UV and BL radiation from the newly introduced lamps does not exceed the current exposure limit values and thus, in comparison with the former incandescent bulbs, does not result in a higher risk for general public.