Good evening, my new friends. Winter has come, and the days are getting shorter. With the extended use of light bulbs in this troublesome season, I wanted to share my discoveries on the dangers of the most commonly used light sources here in the Kingdom of Earth.
You might wonder how I, a lonesome traveler from the lands of Westeros, have knowledge of a technology that was non-existent in my realm. Well, it's a funny story actually...
Upon my arrival in this new world, I had not yet found a place to take up residence and was kindly invited into a stranger's home for a cup of tea. I was unfortunately asked to leave after a few minutes, for I had drawn my sword and started slashing at the light bulbs in each room.
For someone who has never seen this technology, and who associates glowing bright lights with witches who align themselves with the Red God, R'hllor.. My initial thought was that this stranger intended to offer me up as a sacrifice. Once I had been ejected from three strangers homes and a sushi restaurant for repeating the same mistake, I finally realised that this was a benevolent piece of technology--though I was later to find out that was untrue.
My fascination with this invention you call electricity led me down a path of excessive research. The last time I researched something it resulted in me discovering that my best friend's son was not really his son at all, so I expected that whatever I may find couldn't possibly be as shocking as that. Oh, how wrong I was...
So what did I find?
A telling article from the dailymail revealed that;
Energy-saving light bulbs are so dangerous that everyone must leave the room for at least 15 minutes if one falls to the floor and breaks, a Government department warned yesterday.
To me, that doesn't sound too dissimilar to the sorcery used by the Red God's minions..
I later discovered that there is unsafe levels of mercury in these types of light bulbs-- a dangerous poison that packs a punch to rival even that of the strangler or the tears of Lys back on my world. I know what you're thinking, friend. As long as I am safe with this light bulb, and ensure it does not break, then there is nothing to worry about. -- Wrong.
Diving deeper into the rabbit hole, I found that even when handled safely, there are still a number of dangers that energy saving light bulbs pose to the user.
Electromagnetic radiation and dirty electricity
Incandescent lamps emit very little electromagnetic radiation. CFLs on the contrary emit radiofrequency radiation in the frequency range of 25 to 100 kilohertz (kHz).
Measurements by the independent French research centre CRIIREM show that CFLs generate powerful electromagnetic fields (EMF) close to the source, up to 1 meter distance (1). At a distance of 20 centimeters, radiation levels can be as high as 180 Volts per meter (!) Measurements by the Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO) have confirmed these findings (2).
CRIIREM therefore advises not to use energy saving lamps at too close a distance, for example, as desk lamps or as a reading lamp beside the bed (3). A ban on incandescent lamps, however, will result in more people using CFLs as desk or bed lamps, thereby exposing them to very high levels of EMF.
It is often said that these levels of EMF stay below the international exposure limits and that they are therefore safe. However, there is widespread criticism on these limits, which are considered to be much too lenient (4).
In addition to directly emitting radiation, there are indications that the EMFs emitted by CFLs can travel along the electrical wiring thereby exposing people to so-called ‘dirty electricity' throughout the house. A study published in June 2008 in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine indicated that this dirty electricity can lead to a 5-fold increased risk of cancer (5). A harmful influence of dirty electricity has also been found in research done by the Canadian researcher Magda Havas (6).
So it would appear that these light bulbs are still a danger to one's health, regardless of whether or not they are broken on the premises. I find it curious that incandescent bulbs have now been made illegal in a number of countries in Europe. Even I who is new to these lands, am already very aware of how the governments have long been in the bed chamber with energy companies and other big business interests.
Low energy light bulbs (CFL's) result in those energy companies making less profit on electricity bills- so why would their friends--the government--be enacting laws that will affect profit margins for their campaign contributors? Maybe a life in Westeros has left my mind suspicious of evil, as I have to wonder if perhaps the intention is to make the people sick. Then the energy companies--that are owned by the same criminals who own the health industry and everything else--will recoup any losses from the energy sector, as well as making a hefty profit from the medical bills and pharmaceutical sales of the people in the long term. Or maybe that's just too sinister to be possible in this realm. I will let you decide...
Whether or not there is an agenda here is irrelevant. The fact is, these bulbs are dangerous, and though incandescent bulbs are on the way out completely, there are still some safer alternatives that you can use to protect you and your children for the time being. My favourite is...
White LED Christmas tree lights are a great alternative that can illuminate a room just fine. They also have a much warmer light that can make the room look more inviting and homely than the cold, harmful UV light emitted by energy saving bulbs.
As you can see, I have them in my home and I don't plan on changing them any time soon.
There are other types of bulbs, halogen and LED most notably, that could also be used. However, I have found that they too pose some less severe, but nonetheless unnecessary health risks.
I encourage you all to do your own research into this matter and come up with your own alternative to CFL's that is best suited for you. With poisons in the the food supply, in the water, dangerous levels of EMF radiation being emitted from smart meters and WiFi appliances, the accumulative effects can be a burden on the body. I advise that you try to limit those stresses to your system in whichever way you can, and this is perhaps the easiest of them all to do right now.
Thanks for reading.
