Fluorescent Light Covers Aren’t Just for Businesses
31st May 2018
Fluorescent light diffuser covers do a lot. They are popular in offices, businesses, and medical settings. Schools use them, too. But fluorescent light covers aren’t just for businesses. If you have fluorescent lights in your home, you could be suffering the consequences without even knowing it. Fluorescent light covers, or as they are sometimes called decorative light covers or fluorescent light filters, have huge benefits. While many homes have fluorescent light fixtures in some rooms, most homeowners are unaware of the problems they may cause. But the more you know, the more you will recognize the need for a solution. Octo Lights make fluorescent light diffuser covers that are both beneficial for health and beautiful to look at.
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Why to Avoid Fluorescent Light
Whether at work, at school, or at home, the risks of fluorescent light are equally great. Fluorescent light is a type of light most associated with negative health effects. Although any artificial light is not as beneficial as sunlight, a large body of research indicates that fluorescent light is especially bad. This has to do with the type of light fluorescent lights emit and how they emit that light. When fluorescent lights were first made commercially available, their only major competition was incandescent bulbs. Incandescent bulbs are notoriously inefficient. Up to 90% of the energy consumed by an incandescent bulb is given off as heat. Only 10% of the energy goes toward producing light in the visible spectrum. In addition, the technology behind incandescent lights limits their lifespan. An incandescent bulb works by heating a filament to the point that it glows. The light from the glowing hot filament is the light produced by the bulb. But like any material, a filament can only stand up to high heat for so long. After a while (the time varies for various filament materials) the filament can no longer stand the heat and it literally burns out. With fluorescent lights, there was a great increase in both the lifespan and energy efficiency of light bulbs. Fluorescent light bulbs contain a mercury vapor. When an electrical charge is applied to the vapor, it creates short wave ultraviolet light. That ultraviolet light, in turn, causes a phosphor coating on the inside of the bulb to glow. This method was up to eighty percent more energy efficient than incandescent bulbs and the bulbs lasted up to ten times longer. However, the light given off by glowing phosphor is not comparable to the light given off by a glowing filament. The light from a fluorescent lamp has an uneven spectrum. It lacks the full range of lightwaves given off by an incandescent lamp or sunlight. This uneven spectrum affects how colors are perceived under fluorescent light. It also has a strong effect on human biology.The Effect of Fluorescent Light on Health
Because fluorescent light has an uneven spectrum compared to sunlight, it lacks the health benefits of sunlight. Although it may seem that you are getting the same benefit from fluorescent lights, that is the ability to see, you are missing out. The full spectrum of sunlight affects much of human biology. Humans, like most animals, use the cycles of light and dark provided by the sun to regulate many bodily functions. This cycle, known as the circadian rhythm, is responsible for many biological processes, including much of our endocrine system. The endocrine system controls our hormonal cycles, which in turn have a strong effect on everything from our immune health to our mental state. Many of the negative effects of fluorescent light come from the fact that it does little to regulate the circadian rhythm and reduces the function of the endocrine system. Some common symptoms of over-reliance on fluorescent light include:- problems sleeping due to melatonin suppression
- stress and anxiety due to cortisol suppression
- hormonal and menstrual disruptions in women
- suppressed immune system due to endocrine disruption
- All of these are directly related to problems with the circadian rhythm.