Claim: Phyllis Schlafly Says broken compact fluorescent light bulbs "allegedly cause migraines and epilepsy attacks.
Verdict: REFUTES

Retrieved passages:
title: Fluorescent lamps and health
text: of light. Very photosensitive individuals with systemic lupus erythematosus may experience disease activity under artificial light. Standard acrylic diffusers over the fluorescent lamps absorb nearly all the UV-B radiation and appear to protect against this. One paper suggested that in rare cases, fluorescent lighting can also induce depersonalization and derealization; subsequently, it can worsen depersonalization disorder symptoms. The charity Migraine Action Association reported concerns from members that CFL bulbs can cause migraines, and there are many anecdotal reports of such occurrences. Fluorescent lamps and health Fluorescent lamps have been suggested to affect human health in various ways. New lighting systems

title: Fluorescent lamp
text: a sealed plastic bag. Vacuum cleaners can cause the particles to become airborne, and should not be used. Fluorescent lamps with magnetic ballasts flicker at a normally unnoticeable frequency of 100 or 120 Hz and this flickering can cause problems for some individuals with light sensitivity; they are listed as problematic for some individuals with autism, epilepsy, lupus, chronic fatigue syndrome, Lyme disease, and vertigo. Newer fluorescent lights without magnetic ballasts have essentially eliminated flicker. Fluorescent lamps emit a small amount of ultraviolet (UV) light. A 1993 study in the US found that ultraviolet exposure from sitting under fluorescent lights

title: Compact fluorescent lamp
text: of broken CFLs, as well as ways to avoid breakage, on its web site. It recommends airing out the room and carefully disposing of broken pieces in a jar. A Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) study of 2008 comparing clean-up methods warns that using plastic bags to store broken CFL bulbs is dangerous because vapors well above safe levels continue to leak from the bags. The EPA and the Maine DEP recommend a sealed glass jar as the best repository for a broken bulb. Health and environmental concerns about mercury have prompted many jurisdictions to require spent lamps to

title: Photosensitive epilepsy
text: QC test. Previously, the Harding FPA Test was used to assess content, however this has been replaced by software such as Vidchecker. This is an objective standard of assessment of potential to trigger seizures in the susceptible population. This test is not currently required internationally. When functioning correctly, mains-powered fluorescent lighting has a flicker rate sufficiently high (twice the mains frequency, typically 100 Hz or 120 Hz) to reduce the occurrence of problems. However, a faulty fluorescent lamp can flicker at a much lower rate and trigger seizures. Newer high-efficiency compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) with electronic ballast circuits operate at

title: Compact fluorescent lamp
text: again. According to the European Commission Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) in 2008, CFLs may pose an added health risk due to the ultraviolet and blue light emitted. This radiation could aggravate symptoms in people who already suffer skin conditions that make them exceptionally sensitive to light. The light produced by some single-envelope CFLs at distances of less than could lead to ultraviolet exposures approaching the current workplace limit set to protect workers from skin and retinal damage. However, industry sources claim the UV radiation received from CFLs is too small to contribute to skin

title: Compact fluorescent lamp
text: by one bulb can temporarily exceed U.S. federal guidelines for chronic exposure. "Chronic", however, implies exposure for a significant time, and it remains unclear what the health risks are from short-term exposure to low levels of elemental mercury. Despite following EPA best-practice clean-up guidelines on broken CFLs, researchers were unable to remove mercury from carpet, and agitation of the carpet — such as by young children playing — created localized concentrations as high as 0.025 mg/m in air close to the carpet, even weeks after the initial breakage. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published best practices for cleanup

title: Mercury poisoning
text: Agency recommends evacuating and airing out a room for at least 15 minutes after breaking a fluorescent light bulb. Breakage of multiple bulbs presents a greater concern. A 1987 report described a 23-month-old toddler who suffered anorexia, weight loss, irritability, profuse sweating, and peeling and redness of fingers and toes. This case of acrodynia was traced to exposure of mercury from a carton of 8-foot fluorescent light bulbs that had broken in a potting shed adjacent to the main nursery. The glass was cleaned up and discarded, but the child often used the area to play in . Mercury has

title: Over illumination
text: fatigue, medically defined stress, anxiety, and decreases in sexual function. Some studies attribute migraine headaches to overly intense light, while others linked it with certain spectral distributions. In one survey bright light was the number two trigger (affecting 47% of respondents) for causing a migraine episode. Fatigue is another common complaint from individuals exposed to over illumination, especially with fluorescent media. Likewise, over illumination can also cause stress and anxiety. In fact, natural light was preferred over purely artificial light by office workers from both eastern and western cultures. In addition, over illumination can cause medical stress and even aggravate

title: Compact fluorescent lamp
text: was attributable to damage in the bulbs' internal phosphor coatings. No cellular damage was observed following exposure to incandescent light of equivalent intensity. The study's authors suggest that the ultraviolet exposure could be limited by the use of "double-walled" bulbs manufactured with an additional glass covering surrounding the phosphor-coated layer. When the base of the bulb is not made to be flame-retardant, as required in the voluntary standard for CFLs, overheating of the electrical components in the bulb may create a fire hazard. CFLs, like all fluorescent lamps, contain mercury as vapor inside the glass tubing. Most CFLs contain 3–5

title: Fluorescent lamps and health
text: Fluorescent lamps and health Fluorescent lamps have been suggested to affect human health in various ways. New lighting systems have not used magnetic ballasts since the turn of the century, however some older installations still remain. Fluorescent lamps with magnetic ballasts flicker at a normally unnoticeable frequency of 50 or 60 Hz. This flickering can cause problems for some individuals with light sensitivity and are associated with headaches and eyestrain. Such lamps are listed as problematic for some individuals with autism, epilepsy, lupus, chronic fatigue syndrome, Lyme disease, and vertigo. Newer fluorescent lights without magnetic ballasts have essentially eliminated flicker.

title: Phase-out of incandescent light bulbs
text: Association of Dermatologists, calling for access to incandescent light bulbs for those who are medically sensitive to CFLs and other non-incandescent bulbs, and the charity Migraine Action, stating that its members still suffer adverse effects from CFLs despite protestations from the light bulb industry. In the United States, one supporter of the incandescent light bulb is the lighting designer Howard Brandston, a fellow of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America and Honorary Fellow of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers. He has attempted to raise awareness of what he believes are negative effects of the phase out through

title: Fluorescent lamps and health
text: diseases, including: The World Health Organization’s IARC categorizes EMF and radiofrequency exposure as class 2B possibly carcinogenic. Like other devices that are dependent on electricity for their functions, the electronic ballasts in fluorescent lamps emit electric and magnetic fields in the low-frequency range (the distribution frequency 50 Hz and possibly also harmonics thereof, e.g. 150 Hz, 250 Hz, etc. in Europe). Some fluorescent bulbs emit high-frequency fields (30-60 kHz). Electric fields of this intensity have been associated with biological effects. The effects of these can be reduced significantly by maintaining an appropriate distance from them. The Assessment of EM Exposure

title: Phase-out of incandescent light bulbs
text: to one-third the electric power, and may last eight to fifteen times longer. Newer phosphor formulations have improved the perceived color, with "soft white" CFLs judged subjectively similar to standard incandescent lamps. Objections more specifically relating to compact fluorescent light bulbs include the different quality of light produced by phosphor-based lamps compared to incandescent lamps and that compact fluorescent light bulbs contain small amounts of mercury, a potent neurotoxin, which is especially dangerous to children and pregnant women, and made more serious by the confined area mercury would be dispersed in the event of a breakage indoors. Environmental concerns about

title: Fluorescent lamps and health
text: up a broken fluorescent bulb. Mercury can be harmful to children and developing fetuses, so children and pregnant women should avoid being in the area whilst a broken bulb is cleared up. Bulbs which have reached the end of their life should not be disposed of in normal trash, as this may release the mercury into the environment if the bulb is damaged. Several countries have specialised recycling or disposal systems for fluorescent bulbs, "e.g". US bulb recycling. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the amount of mercury contained in a compact fluorescent lamp (about 4-5 mg) is

title: Fluorescent lamp
text: the central vision). Near the end of life, fluorescent lamps can start flickering at a frequency lower than the power frequency. This is due to a dynamic instability inherent in the negative resistance of the plasma source, which can be from a bad lamp, a bad ballast, or a bad starter; or occasionally from a poor connection to power. New fluorescent lamps may show a twisting spiral pattern of light in a part of the lamp. This effect is due to loose cathode material and usually disappears after a few hours of operation. Electromagnetic ballasts may also cause problems for

title: Compact fluorescent lamp
text: sensitive to changes in the intensity of brighter light sources since the pupils compensate by dilating or constricting. So, presuming the illumination provided by the lamp was ample at the beginning of its life, and the light output of a bulb gradually decreases by 25%, viewers will perceive a much smaller change in light intensity. Fluorescent lamps get dimmer over their lifetime, so what starts out as an adequate luminosity may become inadequate. In one test by the U.S. Department of Energy of "Energy Star" products in 2003–04, one quarter of tested CFLs no longer met their rated output after

title: Dennō Senshi Porygon
text: children treated were diagnosed with photosensitive epilepsy. The incident was referred to as by the Japanese press, Later studies showed that 5–10% of the viewers had mild symptoms that did not need hospital treatment. Twelve thousand children who were not sent to hospital reported mild symptoms of illness; however, their symptoms more closely resembled mass hysteria than a grand mal seizure. A study following 103 patients over three years after the event found that most had no further seizures. Scientists believe that the flashing lights triggered photosensitive seizures in which visual stimuli such as flashing lights can cause altered consciousness.

title: High-intensity discharge lamp
text: When that happens, up to 50 mg of mercury vapor is released into the atmosphere. This quantity of mercury is potentially toxic, but the main hazard from broken lamps is glass cuts, and occasional exposure to broken lamps is not expected to have adverse effects. Philips recommends the use of a mercury vacuum cleaner, ventilation or respiratory protection, eye protection, and protective clothing when dealing with broken lamps. Mercury lamps also require special waste disposal, depending on location. High-intensity discharge lamp High-intensity discharge lamps (HID lamps) are a type of electrical gas-discharge lamp which produces light by means of an

title: Fluorescent lamp
text: are not hot enough, in which case the cycle repeats; several cycles are usually needed, which causes flickering and clicking during starting (older thermal starters behaved better in this respect). A power factor correction (PFC) capacitor draws leading current from the mains to compensate for the lagging current drawn by the lamp circuit. Once the tube strikes, the impinging main discharge keeps the cathodes hot, permitting continued electron emission without the need for the filaments to continue to be heated. The starter switch does not close again because the voltage across the lit tube is insufficient to start a glow

title: Compact fluorescent lamp
text: the CFL has reached full brightness. Some CFLs will flash every few seconds even when the room light switch is off. This caused by a small amount of current bypassing the switch either through a switch pilot light or through the capacitance of the two conductor cable connected between the switch and the CFL or the capacitance between this cable and other mains wiring. A few tens of microamps of current is enough to charge the storage in the CFL power supply up to a voltage sufficient for the CFL to light briefly, discharging the storage and starting the process