Melatonin  

There has always been a major discussion over flourescent lites! But I do hear you, there is such a push on here for all of us to transfer to CFC's, but I really did wonder about the downside of them, as they are flourescents. I have always used a nite lite, too, but I have never used Flourescents. I do believe that there is something to flourescents, tho. For about a 10 yr. period, I suffered from seizures, and flourescent lights seemed to promote them.

It is not the light on, it's the light you leave on! But if you think about it, melatonin is produced during sleeping time.

I do know that in the past, during my epileptic period, that I was very, very, sensitive to flourescents and they promoted my seizures. I could actually see them flickering, tho others couldn't.

Thank goodness, I learned that "stress" was the promoter of my seizures, have changed lifestyle...but still am concerned about flourescents...and the mercury that is in them. Especially for disposal.

Nice to have you posting again...have a "tinny" on me!

I have never seen a flourescents light in a bedroom... much less one left on at night. How could you sleep with that on?

What about those new energy saver lights?
Are they flourescents?

Aussies, it is the blue light in the flourescents. Not ordinary incandescent lights.

CFC's are the new lights that they are promoting, and CFC's are compact flourescent, so they handily fit in all light sockets, and they emit the blue light that this discussion is about. People did not have them as a regular bulb up until now....and our government is banning incandescence in two years.

Now we are faced with the new dilemna, the horse is out, now we shut the barn door. The government is banning incandescents, but they have come up with no way for the average householder to dispose of CFC's which have Mercury in them, and guess what, light bulbs are easily broken. So now, having no disposal system in place we are filling our landfills with Mercury. And as we all know Mercury is a deadly poison, and a little bit goes a long way.

Flourescents in office, normally are daylight lights, dark in wintertime, but it is during sleeptime that we produce melatonin....not during normal daytime.

This whole CFC thing scares me, as it is NOT well thought out!

Well... I wish you had told me that a month ago.

I noticed that you cannot buy a good light bulb anymore. They only last two months. And at $1.00 each... it is a joke.

So 3 weeks ago... I bought some compact fluorescent lights for the whole house. They have a lifetime of 3 years and burn 4 times less energy.

I actually have a couple of those energy saver lights which I bought over ten years ago... and they still work.

Incandescent light bulbs will be banned in Australia by 2010.

Anyway... I don't see the blue light you are talking about. You either have a yellow light or a white light... which they call warm or cool.

However I am reading about the controversy about it in wikipedia. I don't know why this is coming out now... after having encouraged people to buy them for the last 20 years.

What I first would say is that if your are reducing your consumption of energy by 4... your reduction of pollution is far greater than the pollution caused by the disposal of those light bulbs. Particulary if they last 3 to 5 years.

The coal plants used to generate electricity produce more than half of all the mercury released in the atmosphere through the burning of coal.

What do you do with your old batteries? They are full of mercury... and people have thrown them in their ordinary garbage bin for the last 40 years. And we use more and more of them.

I am not saying that those new CFL are a good thing. All I am saying is that they are not worse than anything else. After all... we have been using ordinary fluorescent lights for a very long time. And they contain the same mercury.

How many people sleep with the light on?

You bring up a lot of good points, but as you, I have been doing a lot of thinking about this transition to CFC's (compact flouro carbons) and I have a few questions;
1. I have the local Maintenance Contract for two companies; Hummingbird Inn Pub, and Page Drive (14 units) for retired persons. Going with the hyperbole about CFC's, I have been changing over as incandescents burn out. Surprise!
I am replacing CFC's and incandescents ...one for one! They cost twice as much and I am replacing them just as often. Cost up...disposal (mercury)up..and there's "no" system set up to dispose of them, yet in B.C.

2. We have been living with the coal production, flourescent, mercury for all this time, not managing it, and now, as previously stated I (thru my own & businesses are adding that much more!

3. Blue light emitted is seen by black lite.

4. Until last year...I had an 11 yr. collection of batteries, that I refused to put in a landfill. Finally, now, we have a FEW outlets that recycle them.

5. I have made a concerted effort to switch over to solar power, my radio is solar or wind-up, my flashlight is solar/windup....all my "power out" lights are solar......And for those items I cannot by solar, I use re-chargeables.

All I can tell you is that the CFL I bought cost 7 times the price of a light bulb... and have a 3 years guarantee.

So it is unlikely I will have to replace them in the near future... and if they do burn out... I'll want my money back.

The first CFL I bought 10 years ago were costing 15 times the price of a light bulb... and they are still working.

As for keeping batteries for 11 years... I would have thought they would be leaking after two or three years.

Please note, my dearest, the issue is CFC's that we are replacing all our light bulbs (incandescent) with. They emit a "blue" light which we cannot see, but it interrupts our production of melatonin.

Once again, my dear it is the CFC Lights, that are at the base of this study.

I don't know whether this will help you, or not! But, when I was faced with your same problem, lights on at nite, I would wake up so much if I got out of bed to turn his light off......I extended (added) a length of electrical wire to the power cord, and put an in-line switch on it, and plugged it in on my side of the bed! So when the book fell in the face, and the snoring began, I just turned off his light from my inline switch. Have a great day.

We have the compact fluorescents, but I may change the bulb in his nite lite. I usually end up getting up after he falls asleep and turning it off, and I really like your idea of the switch being on my side. I used to plug his lamp into a timer so that it would go off eventually, but he would just override the timer if he wasn't asleep yet.

Sorry, I have not responded sooner! Thank you for your good wishes, but yesterday I was curled up in a ball. One of the more painful days! Your wishes really do help.

Nite lites with incandescent bulbs are not at the root of this issue, my dear. It is mostly CFC's, those are the little compact/twisted bulbs that we are all being forced to use in the near future. For health/disposal safety, good,old fashioned incandescents seem to pose no problem. CFC's are Mercury based.

I also agree with you that there could be hidden risks with cellphones...and I am such a wimp, I charge my cell phone in my green house, which is detached from the house. Wimpy, eh?

What I don't understand, they are promoting CFC's as lasting 7 times longer than ordinary incandescents, but where I work, early a.m., we are replacing the CFC's one for one versus incandescents. CFC's have Mercury in them, so are dangerous to handle (breakage) and our government has NO system in place for disposal, so highly contaminating Mercury is now being added to our landfills, just to add insult to injury.

I am praying that you are in neither part of the world that has just suffered Mother Nature's wrath..England - earthquake...Australlia--flooding rains. And if you are in either region...I hope you and your family are safe! Brilliant sunshine, and brilliant smiles for you today.

USA here perg sorry you are still not well...(((perg))))xo Thanks for the well wishes and still thinking of you.
Laughing about the cellphone in the greenhouse hahahah..eh, I would too if I had one..don't feel alone. Please keep me posted as to your health. Thanksx

Cellphones.....yuck! But I will tell you what made me get one! It's worth a laugh! I am a Tiler/Landscaper by trades! (you have to be diversified on a small island) I was hired by a local contractor to tile a new house, on an adjoining island, only accessible by boat, & then by Golf Cart, 2 miles to new home. No phones, generator for power! Worked all day alone! It was Dec. nite fall early, winds howling, pouring rain. Contractor didn't arrive...and didn't arrive, it became pitch dark, the generator ran out of fuel, and there I sat freezing to death. ALL NITE! The contractor had completely forgot I was their, there are only a few inhabitants on the Island, but I didn't know where I was, and it was pitch black. Couldn't walk out! Hence I now have a cell phone, but only use it, when absolutely necessary, it never goes with me on a day to day basis.

Once again, thank you, and have a rainbow day!

I have finally made the trojan leap, and have decided to get medical help! It's a 2 hour ferry ride each way....and a $100.00 ferry bill, but I can't fight this on my own, I've tried 6 days now. Have to take my vehicle, as my incontinence (#2) with this horrible intrusion, makes riding the bus not an option. Just wished I could conquer this on my own...as I hate taking anti-biotics....and pain Killers. Knowing you are there...helps immensely! Many, many thank yous!

{{{{{perg}}}}}Oh dear perg, you must be really bad, and I knew you were of how you were speaking...((((perg))))once again, please let us know how you go and a very safe journey to you today Love..praying for your healing and wishing you a smooth sailing:)* Good Luck and God Bless perg! xoxoxo

Old discussion, thank your for responding, my friend! My concern comes from the fact that here, in Canada, we are having CFC's shoved down our throats! Soon we will not be able to buy incandescent lights. Once again, the cart is before the horse.....the concerns of the blue light from them, according to World Health Organization.....but I really feel, now, after lots more research...our concern should be the disposal of the CFC's. THEY HAVE MERCURY IN THEM...and they are going into landfills! Or if you should break one, you can become contaminated.
Our government is forcing us to use these.....but with NO guidelines or facilities for disposal! Sorry for my rant, ronaldinu...but this really upsets me!

In Europe CFC are banned in most countries. Thanks for the br award.