For what it's worth, I found this information on NWCN.com today. For those that already suffer from migraines and are considering changing the bulbs in the trailer to CFL type, this may be of concern.
CFL bulbs may trigger migraines
10:24 PM PDT on Tuesday, June 3, 2008
By JEAN ENERSEN / KING 5 News
Compact fluorescent
light bulbs use 75 percent less energy and last 10 times longer than traditional bulbs.
They save money on electric bills, but are they good for your health?
Those corkscrew-looking CFL bulbs are part of the big push to go green. They are supposed to reduce people's carbon foot prints and save money!
Not everyone is convinced that the CFL bulbs cause migraines.
But they could also be causing headaches.
"We flipped on a
light switch in one of the rooms, and within 10 minutes I developed a migraine. And I could tell it was from that
light," said Dr. Larry Newman, Headache Institute, Roosevelt Hospital.
Neurologist Larry Newman says patients have called him with similar complaints and that includes people who normally don't get migraines.
"I know as a migraine sufferer, those
lights trigger my headaches. Normal fluorescent
lights don't, but those
lights have actually given me headaches," he said.
But not everyone is convinced.
"I'm still waiting for my first patient to come in and tell me, that's the cause of their migraines, these new energy-saving bulbs," said Dr. Mark Green, Columbia University Medical Center.
CFL's use newer technology eliminating flickering associated with older fluorescent bulbs, but because the bulbs are new, research is limited, so this could be just the tip of the iceberg -- or not.
"If in fact it's just a handful of people who are sensitive to it, then it's not really a big issue. But if you think there's 30 million Americans who have migraine and if an overwhelming proportion of people start to develop headaches, it's going to really be a big health issue," said Dr. Newman.
Before replacing all of the lights in your home with the new CFL bulbs, Dr. Newman suggests trying them out in one room first to make sure you don't have a problem.
Incandescent bulbs are set to be phased out by 2010.
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