I sincerely hope it doesn't - every light in my house is LED

Staring at them for prolonged periods isn't advised...

Originally Posted by: stonecold

Originally Posted by: Yossarian

A brief web trawl shows that LEDs are being considered an emerging risk. Bsaically because the technology is so new the health effects are now being reported.

Below are a few of the links I have found, they look like reputable sources but I have not checked them fully and make no claims in this post fact world where scientific and expert opinion is pooh-poohed

Reason for my post is that I have saw an increased number of complaints from office based employees in regard to lighting ever since we installed LED lighting (day light ceiling panels). The complaints are so far, in single figures and we have 3000 staff so maybe I shudnt worry too much...Some compliants site significant eye discomfort/ issues though.

Interesting.

Mrs Y suffers from fatigue and has noticed that certain LED Christmas lights (predominantly blue and blue-white) as well as the LEDs in the local supermarket exacerbate her symptoms. This can be swiftly cured by the donning of sunglasses, but looked distinctly odd when attending a local carol concert.

I mention this, merely to hypothesise that certain wavelengths or harsh colours may be triggering pre-existing conditions in some people. I'll have to go and read up now.

Edited by user 05 January 2017 11:13:15(UTC)  | Reason: removed surplus "which"

Whenever something new turns up somebody decides that it might be a health risk.  The risks associated with blue light are well known but the levels of blue light exposure have to be substantial for there to be any signs of “blue light toxicity”. Any source of blue light can cause these not just LEDs.

If you change anything in office environment even slightly, somebody will complain about it.  It will be too dark, too bright, the wrong hue (too blue, too pink, too yellow) too hot, too cold, too humid too dry, too draughty, too stale, too noisy, too quiet, too cramped, too open…

If you try to accommodate that person, it will set someone else off, whose needs will of course be the exact opposite.

You will suggest a simple solution such as moving closer to the radiator or away from the horrible light source. They cannot do this because they have to be within 3 m of their manager, bestest friend or pot plant.

You will walk away and realise that you don’t actually care. If you buy something in good faith, such an LED light, which complies with all legal requirements, you cannot be expected to carry out basic scientific research to establish whether it is safe to use in your office.

I would be more inclined to worry about the constant bombardment from micro-wave emmisions from the wall of phones and other bits and bobs that flood the space arond me within the office. ( No wonder Whales beach themselves)

The problem with LED fittings is that, for the most part, people replace existing office lighting with LED units without any design taking place.  'Yes mate, this is brighter than the old stuff, runs cheaper etc.'  Forgetting that when a bank of LEDs kick-in the input start-up current jumps and all sorts of fun and games start and the 'brightnes' is a bit of a shock.

European energy saving policy is foisting LED's on to the populace - even the local council is switching out diffuse Sodium street lamps for these dazzling abhorations (where they are leaving them switched on). Meantime manufacturers of social connection devices are changing designs to reduce/eliminate the blue glare associated with evening/night time use of tablets and smart phones

There are options with LED's - which leads back to solution design - we trialled four different types from a main supplier before deciding which unit to eventually purchase.

Jumping from traditional (and worn out) to "new" did cause initial issues with reported "glare"

Have to say I love LED lighting, use it at home with no apparent issues and really relish the longevity and carbon (not say money) saving benefits. Early LEDs were very blue, but they are available in a spectrum much closer to solar light now.

As for sodium bulbs, never liked them, never will,

John

Have you gone out and spoken to those concerned?

Have you carried out a lighting survey and compered it to the pre-LED one?

Have you looked for glare? When was the last time these people had their eyes tested?

Have you checked their DSE set up?

Have they been to their optician/GP about this?

In short, have you assessmed risk generally in the offices and in particular with the individuals?

If so good, if not, then I would recommed this as a good way of establishing the level of risk and your possible solutions.

Ian

I've checked out the links kindly provided by Yossarian; one dates from 2011, one references a study involving 10 people (you could probably prove that coffee makes you blind with a sample size of 10 and the right experimental parameters) and the third one is the launch of a consultation on whether LED lights are harmful, though that is at least recent. Not that compelling as a body of evidence,

John

Plenty of experts, specialists and researchers filling their time and the web

http://theconversation.com/american-medical-association-warns-of-health-and-safety-problems-from-white-led-streetlights-61191

One of two dozen reports of the American Medical Associations statement

Hi Ian,

Any issues of harm aside, the spectrum of LEDs is different from fluorescents, which is again different from incandescents, and all three are different to natural light, as any photographer would know. LEDs have a spectrum biased to blue, fluorescents are very green, and incandescents are a warm fuzzy orange. In photographic terms the white balance of each is at a different temperature. Modern LEDs have been tweaked to reduce the prevalence of blue light.

As to any harm these different white balances cause, well, that's a different matter, and my suspicions match yours for now, but hey, we'll see what the call for evidence comes up with,

John