Those compact fluorescent light bulbs that will soon be the only option available to us are expensive, hazardous when broken, and throw off some really ugly light. All that, and they may even cause skin cancer.

Energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs popular among environmentalists are harmful to skin, researchers at a New York university have found.

Phosphor coatings on the bulbs wear off, the study from Stony Brook University on Long Island reported in the study published by in the journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology.

The scientists, led by Miriam Rafailovich, collected CFL bulbs from across Long Island to measure the amount of UV the bulbs gave off. They were alarmed thow many of the bulbs’ phosphor coatings were lacking, causing them to leak significant levels of UVC and UVA.

“Our study revealed that the response of healthy skin cells to UV emitted from CFL bulbs is consistent with damage from ultraviolet radiation,” said Rafailovich. (Read More)

Republicans in the House passed a bill blocking the ban of incandescent light bulbs, but thanks to the Democrats the bill was shelved in the Senate. I guess they want us to to get skin cancer.

H/T to reader Zorro