As incandescent and CFL lighting alternatives are phased out, LED lights are quickly replacing them as the industry standard for many applications and have essentially replaced them entirely in several places.
Despite the fact that LEDs use less energy, are more durable, and are thus better for the environment, little is spoken about the human and consumer side of things, particularly when it comes to the safety and health consequences of the light itself.
As compared to incandescent and fluorescent lights, LEDs often perform as well as or better in terms of electrical and hazardous problems. To reduce the danger of fire and electric shock, the majority of regulatory bodies have continued to modify the current construction and safety rules. Of course, it is always a good idea to practice basic electrical safety.
Yet, there is very little knowledge or guidance on the nature and security of the light produced by LED lights. The health effects of LED light, specifically "blue light" as it pertains to the LED spectrum, as well as the impact of LED lights' common flicker are discussed in this article.
LED Lights with Blue Light Risk
Despite the fact that LED bulbs do not generate ultraviolet light, "blue light" has become one of the most often mentioned hazards and concerns associated with LED lighting and display displays that employ LED backlights in recent years (smartphones, tablets, TVs, etc).
Melanopsin, an eye hormone that fosters alertness, is known to be produced in human eyes more readily in response to blue light.
There is a lot of blue light in natural daylight, and it is believed that melanopsin helps us control our circadian rhythms when the day starts and we are exposed to natural sunshine.
Figure 1: Graph displaying the melanopsin response's sensitivity curve. This wavelength range of light energy encourages attention.
The issue is that excessive usage during the evening hours would lead our bodies to prolong the creation of melanopsin, making it difficult to fall asleep naturally. LED lights and our gadgets do contain a considerable quantity of blue light (although with critical caveats and qualifiers - see below).
Our bodies naturally anticipate blue light exposure to decrease over the evening hours, but by using LED gadgets that emit a lot of blue light, we are disrupting our bodies' own biological clock.
So, is the blue light emitted by LED light bulbs harmful? Absolutely, however a number of variables will determine how serious the danger is:
The LED light intensity: Sitting closer to a light bulb will expose you to much more blue light than doing the same thing while sitting further away.
How long you're exposed to the LED light for; the longer the blue light is present, the more significantly melanopsin is produced.
The precise time at which you use the LED lights matters much; exposure in the early evening has a significantly lower risk than exposure in the late evening, shortly before bed.
The proportion of blue light in an LED light's spectrum might vary depending on the kind of LED you choose, color temperature, CRI, and light spectrum. For further details, see M/P ratio.
The first three of the aforementioned causes are rather self-explanatory, and you may decrease your exposure to blue light by following these simple actions. You may want to opt for a light bulb made with circadian health in mind when selecting the best kind of LED bulb to use at night.
In general, you should search for lights that have a higher proportion of red energy and a lower proportion of blue energy in their respective light spectra. Candles and flames emit a lot of red energy (long wavelength), which does not interfere with circadian rhythms and is a sort of "light" that our bodies are used to being exposed to at night.
You may wish to think about the following elements:
Choose a light bulb with a 2700K or lower color temperature, ideally 2400K. While the typical designation for these bulbs is "warm white," knowing the precise color temperature might be desirable. Avoid using LED lights over 3000K and/or those with the descriptions "bright white," "neutral white," "cool white," or "daylight white" since they will often have a sharp, glaring white tone. This light hue LEDs have a large percentage of blue light in their spectrum.
Choose a light source with a high CRI. A higher CRI means less blue light and more red light, all other things being equal. An LED bulb with a higher CRI, for instance, will have more red energy and less blue energy for the same 2700K light hue.
Look for the M/P ratio, which tells you how much blue light is present in a light's spectrum compared to other colors, if the manufacturer offers it. To reduce exposure to blue light, choose bulbs with an M/P ratio of 0.4 or below.
So, are LED bulbs a safety hazard and does the blue light they emit affect your health? They do, in fact, but the hazards and worries are exclusive to excessive exposure to blue light in the evenings, and they are manageable. Caffeine is comparable to blue light, thus same common sense safety measures should be followed. An hour before going to bed, for instance, you wouldn't want to have a double shot of espresso!
Figure 2: A diagram displaying the variations in color temperature. Warmer color temperatures (below 2700K) are best for encouraging rest and relaxation.
You may safely include LED lights in your house without any harmful health impacts of the "blue light danger" by paying attention to the LED bulb specs, taking the necessary measures, and applying some basic common sense.
