Arent flourescent lights bad? I always thought that they were supposedly bad for your health - they always told us in school that it was low cost lighting that was bad for your eyesight amongst other things....why are these new energy saving lightbulbs so promoted then? Personally I find the light is hard to stand for long periods and really dont want to switch until they use something other than flourescent.

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

Well, No and maybe yes.

A well made fluorescent light (the one that doesn%26#039;t flicker, most newer models with modern electronics don%26#039;t flicker anymore) are NOT bad.

The light spectrum is actually better than a typical incandescent light bulb. Even though people like them better due to the %26quot;yellowish%26quot; color. The light generated by the Fluorescent lights are closer to the Sunlight than any other source of light. It is also much more efficient.

The problem comes when it is trashed as most of them contain Mercury gas. If it is broken or handled improperly, the Mercury can leak into the ground and air and cause contamination. 67% 4 Votes

Other Answers (7)

• Yes they are...and no their not. There are 4s and against...as most cases for anything.
  
  The %26quot;flouros%26quot; flicker at 50 times a second and can induce particular discomfort to some individuals.
  
  They use much less energy than filament lighting to emitt equal quatities of light.
  
  Most flouro tubes emit a harsh light , but there are different grades available to attenuate the %26quot;quality%26quot; of the light/colour emmitted.
  
  The low energy light bulbs employ flouro technology and have initial low light emmitence when first switched on and %26quot;cold%26quot;.
  
  Diffusers to the light fitting also serve to disperse the light and increase %26quot;comfort%26quot; for the individual concerned.
  
  I do agree with you that flouro tubes generally are poor substitute for atmospheric lighting and have only utilitarian purpose, confined to commercial environment use only. 0% 0 Votes
• this is the FIRST time I ever heard that those lights are bad for your eyes.
  One of the advantages of these lights is that at a lower wattage they produce the same perceptible amount of light as an incandescent light bulb does at a higher wattage.
  Maybe some school teacher inferred since a fluorescent light%26#039;s description said 50 watt, that it must be inferior to a 100-120 watt incandescent light bulb.
  You may not like the cold green-blue light some of the older bulbs cast, but nowadays there are fluorescent lights in all shades - the ligths in my bedroom actually cast a very yellow warm light and in my bathroom I like a colder looking light better, I think it is closer to the broad daylight than yellow light 33% 2 Votes
• Only if you want good light. People embrace improvements, they always have. But it seems people need to be coerced or forced (by outlawing incandescant) to buy the new flourescent bulbs. If incandescant weren%26#039;t as good, as this new %26quot;improvement%26quot;, they wouldn%26#039;t need to be outlawed. They would become extinct on their own. They didn%26#039;t need to outlaw oil lamps. 0% 0 Votes
• I hear that they%26#039;re making them safe, but it%26#039;s not like we ever see lit thermometers ever, and many people have mental problems, so I%26#039;m not quite takin%26#039; a chance yet, even if Consumer%26#039;s Reports says to. Moneywise, I%26#039;m not even ready. 0% 0 Votes
• I think so-they contain enough mercury to cause concern, particularly if it ends up in a landfill, which I suspect is often the case. 0% 0 Votes
• no they help the earth and it is really good to the earth 0% 0 Votes
• they are making them better but they r pretty good 0% 0 Votes