It
is important to understand how a fluorescent light bulb works.
1. A hollow glass tube is coated on the inside with different colored phosphors
2. At either end of the tube is an electrode (anode and cathode)
3. Sealed in the center of the glass tube is a small amount of mercury vapor
4. As an electric arc travels through the mercury vapor, it causes a reaction that creates UV radiation
5. The UV rays strike the phosphors coating the inside of the lamp tube
6. The phosphors then fluoresce, producing fluorescent visible light
Of the electricity used to light a fluorescent lamp, approximately 60% is required to produce UV radiation. 20% of that UV radiation is used to produce visible light. The remaining 80% is either emitted as UVA and UVB radiation, or is radiated as heat.
The UV radiation found in fluorescent lighting is present in two forms: UVB (280-320 nanometers [nm]) and UVA (320 to 400 nm). UVB rays pose a much greater risk of causing skin cancer than UVA.
UV radiation exposure is known to cause:
• Non-melanoma and melanoma cancers
• Premature aging (freckling, fine wrinkling, and dilatation of capillaries)
• Lupus erythematosus (Lupus) flare-ups (lupus facilitators report that some lupus sufferers, after sitting under fluorescent lighting for just 20-30 minutes, collapse in their chairs)
People who work in the grocery, restaurant, food processing and deli industry know that food that remains under fluorescent lighting for a short time spoils quickly. As a matter of fact, the closer it is to the bulb, the faster the food spoils. In 1997, Cornell University studies found that 50% of vitamin A and riboflavin in milk may be lost after only 24 hours of fluorescent light exposure.
NaturaLux™ Overlay Lenses absorb 100% of the UVA and UVB radiation emitted by fluorescent lights.
NaturaLux™ and DirectaLux™ Tube Guard Sleeve Filters absorb:
- 100% of the harmful UV rays up to 380nm (that means all UVB and almost all of the UVA is absorbed)
- 81-99% of the UVA found between 380-390nm
- 50-80% of UVA found between 390-400nm, there is an 50-80%
Perhaps the most important thing you can do for yourself, your family, your employees, and your customers is to create a UV-Safe environment. Remember, the body does not know the difference between solar UV radiation and the UV radiation emitted by artificial light sources. UV radiation energy accumulates in your body over your entire lifetime. The more exposure, the more potential damage it will inflict.