Low energy bulb warning

Light bulb

Local MEP Paul Nuttall is calling for the ditching of low energy lightbulbs after experts warn they can cause blindness and skin cancer.

Under EU regulations it is illegal for people in the UK to buy traditional light bulbs, a rule the British government is powerless to overturn, but recently medical experts have admitted that prior to the ban taking effect they stocked up on a lifetime’s supply of the bulbs, over health fears that the new EU approved bulbs can seriously damage health.

Professor Marshall, an eye expert and university professor, is concerned by recent scientific evidence that shows that light rays from the new style bulbs (known as CFLs) are particularly damaging to human eyes and skin.

Mr Nuttall said, “In the same way ultraviolet rays in sunlight can cause premature aging in our skin if we get sunburnt, there is a similar situation in the eye.

“You shed skin every five days, but your retina is with you for life.

“These bulbs produce high peaks of ultra violet light, and are very dangerous.”

A second professor has added to the concerns by warning of the bulbs’ use in reading lamps.

Professor John Hawk, the retired head of the photobiology unit at St John's Institute of Dermatology, King's College, London, warns, “There is good evidence that the CFLs that have been foisted upon us emit radiation sufficient to cause damage to the skin if used close by for long enough.”

He says the risk is particularly high if the bulb is a metre or less from your body, which is common as people use them in reading lamps.

Mr Nuttall, UKIP deputy leader, added, “This is yet another example of ill-thought-out legislation made by the EU before they have got all the facts.

“They are so desperate to justify their high salaries they will push through law after law and not stop to consider the available evidence and the health consequences of those they are supposed to work for.

“These concerns have been raised before, but as always, the EU ignores the experts because the findings don’t fit their agenda and the rest of us have to suffer.”