We've received a couple of emails from people who say that fluorescent bulbs give them headaches, or cause other medical problems. These problems are caused by sensitivity to the flicker from those long tube lights used in office towers, schools, and pretty much every other public building we might find ourselves in. No wonder there is some concern among those people who must endure this ailment about the push to use new CFL lighting.
Fortunately, advances in technology have taken care of the cause of the problem.
Migraine headaches, loss of concentration, and general irritation have all been blamed on fluorescent lights. These problems are caused not by the lights themselves, but by the way they are run. Common magnetic ballasts run the lamps at the same 60 cycles per second that is delivered by our electrical grid. This causes the lamps to flicker noticeably approximately 120 times per second, every time the alternating current switches direction. (Environment, Health and Safety Online discusses the matter further.)
Electronic ballasts, which operate at around 30,000 cycles per second, completely eliminate this problem. This rapid cycling totally eliminates perceptible flicker and avoids the ensuing health complaints. The CFL bulbs which Porchlight is distributing use the superior electronic ballast, as do most new bulbs that you'll find on store shelves near you. (Be wary of any 'clearance' sales or other too-cheap-to-be-true deals on CFLs - these probably are old stock, which may use the magnetic ballasts that cause headaches in some, and lend a poorer quality of light.)
Use better quality bulbs (always look for the Energy Star logo), including the one Project Porchlight dropped off at your door, and you should find that saving energy and reducing pollution won't cause you any undue stress. Unless you can't remember where you put the stepladder, which you'll need to change that overhead fixture. I'm afraid that we can't help you with that one.
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