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Eco-Grandstanding, Mercury Vapor, and Human Health

M

Michael Bulatovich

Jan 1, 1970
0
In the last issue of Professional Lighting Design, the editorial takes aim
at the folly of the Australian move to ban incandescent lamps:

http://www.via-verlag.com/1465.0.html?&L=1


More significantly, the same issue of the magazine has a significant article
on the effects of mercury vapor lighting on human physiology. Here's the
abstract of the article:

http://www.via-verlag.com/1471.0.html?&L=1

I have crudely scanned my copy of the full article and have made it
available online here:

http://www.michaelbulatovich.ca/ArtificialLightingAndHeatlth.pdf
(Warning: written in German, then translated into English.....with limited
success.)
--


MichaelB
www.michaelbulatovich.ca


(More info on vitamin D available here: http://www.vitamindcouncil.com/ )
 
V

Victor Roberts

Jan 1, 1970
0
In the last issue of Professional Lighting Design, the editorial takes aim
at the folly of the Australian move to ban incandescent lamps:

http://www.via-verlag.com/1465.0.html?&L=1


More significantly, the same issue of the magazine has a significant article
on the effects of mercury vapor lighting on human physiology. Here's the
abstract of the article:

http://www.via-verlag.com/1471.0.html?&L=1

I have crudely scanned my copy of the full article and have made it
available online here:

http://www.michaelbulatovich.ca/ArtificialLightingAndHeatlth.pdf
(Warning: written in German, then translated into English.....with limited
success.)

I don't know which one of these is sillier. An editor of a
lighting design magazine who doesn't understand that the
quality of light produced by a CFL can be just about as good
as that produced by an incandescent lamp if we care to make
it that way, or a guy who thinks that visible light produced
by a mercury discharge will somehow "activate" mercury that
has been absorbed in the body, while sunlight that is many
times more powerful will not.

--
Vic Roberts
http://www.RobertsResearchInc.com
To reply via e-mail:
replace xxx with vdr in the Reply to: address
or use e-mail address listed at the Web site.

This information is provided for educational purposes only.
It may not be used in any publication or posted on any Web
site without written permission.
 
M

Michael Bulatovich

Jan 1, 1970
0
Victor Roberts said:
I don't know which one of these is sillier. An editor of a
lighting design magazine who doesn't understand that the
quality of light produced by a CFL can be just about as good
as that produced by an incandescent lamp if we care to make
it that way, or a guy who thinks that visible light produced
by a mercury discharge will somehow "activate" mercury that
has been absorbed in the body, while sunlight that is many
times more powerful will not.

So it's a 'crock'?

BTW, what do you mean by "quality"?
 
V

Victor Roberts

Jan 1, 1970
0
So it's a 'crock'?

Well, I certainly think it is, but I'm not a medical doctor
and haven't done any research in this area.
BTW, what do you mean by "quality"?

CRI, CCT, continuous spectrum. The various color-related
deficiencies in CFL are not fundamental, they are introduced
on purpose to reduce energy consumption. If you want more
red in the spectrum you can have it, but you will need more
input power for the same number of lumens since each watt of
red light does not produce as many lumens as each watt of
green light. If you really want a continuous spectrum you
can have that also, though it may cost you more for the
phosphor and the lamp may also be less efficient.

--
Vic Roberts
http://www.RobertsResearchInc.com
To reply via e-mail:
replace xxx with vdr in the Reply to: address
or use e-mail address listed at the Web site.

This information is provided for educational purposes only.
It may not be used in any publication or posted on any Web
site without written permission.
 
M

Michael Bulatovich

Jan 1, 1970
0
Victor Roberts said:
Well, I certainly think it is, but I'm not a medical doctor
and haven't done any research in this area.

I did a bit of web-sleuthing on the author, and he seems to be involved in
numerous holistic wellness areas. Not that there's anything wrong with
that...
CRI, CCT, continuous spectrum. The various color-related
deficiencies in CFL are not fundamental, they are introduced
on purpose to reduce energy consumption. If you want more
red in the spectrum you can have it, but you will need more
input power for the same number of lumens since each watt of
red light does not produce as many lumens as each watt of
green light. If you really want a continuous spectrum you
can have that also, though it may cost you more for the
phosphor and the lamp may also be less efficient.

I guess that since you aren't up on medicine you don't have any comment on
the vitamin d angle in the article.
 
T

TKM

Jan 1, 1970
0
Michael Bulatovich said:
I did a bit of web-sleuthing on the author, and he seems to be involved in
numerous holistic wellness areas. Not that there's anything wrong with
that...


I guess that since you aren't up on medicine you don't have any comment on
the vitamin d angle in the article.
--


MichaelB
www.michaelbulatovich.ca

It is a peculiar article and goes off in some very odd directions. For
balance, you may want to look at another article written on the subject a
few years ago at:
http://www.buildings.com/Articles/detail.asp?ArticleID=1781

The CIE has organized two international symposia on the subject of light and
health. The most recent one was held in Canada during September, 2006 See:
http://www.cie.co.at/framesymposia.html The extensive proceedings are not
on line; but they may be ordered from the CIE. I attended both symposia
and there was absolutely no mention of the "activation" effects from mercury
light, the supposed importance of Fraunhofer lines, or "Solitrol" at either
one.

The vitamin D subject is exhaustively covered in Dr. Michael Holick's book,
"The UV Advantage" You can read about it at:
http://www.newstarget.com/003069.html Google Holick's name if you want
more --- much more.

Terry McGowan
 
M

Michael Bulatovich

Jan 1, 1970
0
TKM said:
It is a peculiar article and goes off in some very odd directions. For
balance, you may want to look at another article written on the subject a
few years ago at:
http://www.buildings.com/Articles/detail.asp?ArticleID=1781

The CIE has organized two international symposia on the subject of light
and health. The most recent one was held in Canada during September, 2006
See: http://www.cie.co.at/framesymposia.html The extensive proceedings
are not on line; but they may be ordered from the CIE. I attended both
symposia and there was absolutely no mention of the "activation" effects
from mercury light, the supposed importance of Fraunhofer lines, or
"Solitrol" at either one.

The vitamin D subject is exhaustively covered in Dr. Michael Holick's
book, "The UV Advantage" You can read about it at:
http://www.newstarget.com/003069.html Google Holick's name if you want
more --- much more.

Terry McGowan

Thanks for those links Terry. I've read the first, and it's fairly cursory.
I'll get to the others shortly.

Since I was a kid I've had what, by the 80's, I came to call SAD. (I live at
45 degrees latitude.) After trying 'lightboxes' and prescribed
pharmaceuticals, this year I tried Vitamin D and it was completely
vanquished, so I'm on the lookout for other effects attributable to a
deficiency in it. I have also come to adopt some of the measures mentioned
in the buildings.com piece on my own, however challenging skin exposure may
be around here in the winter.

As an architect (and a human) I have an interest in the quality of light in
the built environment, but there is so many closely-watched quantities that
I have to deliver that I'm afraid the quality light gets pushed down in the
pile of consideration far too often. (Another is sound. Try to draw that.
Then there's air quality...)

I've made contact with the author of the article I posted, and will be
asking him for clarification, and supporting documentation. He appears to
speak some English.
 
T

TKM

Jan 1, 1970
0
Michael Bulatovich said:
Thanks for those links Terry. I've read the first, and it's fairly
cursory. I'll get to the others shortly.

Since I was a kid I've had what, by the 80's, I came to call SAD. (I live
at 45 degrees latitude.) After trying 'lightboxes' and prescribed
pharmaceuticals, this year I tried Vitamin D and it was completely
vanquished, so I'm on the lookout for other effects attributable to a
deficiency in it. I have also come to adopt some of the measures mentioned
in the buildings.com piece on my own, however challenging skin exposure
may be around here in the winter.

As an architect (and a human) I have an interest in the quality of light
in the built environment, but there is so many closely-watched quantities
that I have to deliver that I'm afraid the quality light gets pushed down
in the pile of consideration far too often. (Another is sound. Try to draw
that. Then there's air quality...)

I've made contact with the author of the article I posted, and will be
asking him for clarification, and supporting documentation. He appears to
speak some English.
--


MichaelB
www.michaelbulatovich.ca

As a follow-up to your questions, you should know that there are some
professional lighting designers now questioning that same article. It will
be interesting to see how the subject is subsequently handled.

What bothers me is that there is a growing opportunity for lighting
designers to incorporate the the results of good, agreed-upon research into
their designs and that has value as you say. Controversial research just
confuses the issues and, apparently the designers.

Terry McGowan
 
M

Michael Bulatovich

Jan 1, 1970
0
TKM said:
As a follow-up to your questions, you should know that there are some
professional lighting designers now questioning that same article. It
will be interesting to see how the subject is subsequently handled.

What bothers me is that there is a growing opportunity for lighting
designers to incorporate the the results of good, agreed-upon research
into their designs and that has value as you say. Controversial research
just confuses the issues and, apparently the designers.

Want to mention any by name, or put us in contact?
 
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