The Letters Editor
Sydney Morning Herald

Dear Sir/Madam,

None of your responses so far to Malcolm Turnbull’s announcement of the phasing out of incandescent lamps has addressed the health, safety and environmental issues of the resulting significant increase in the use of fluorescent lamps.  These include the facts that they emit significantly more ultraviolet light,  a suspected carcinogen,  than incandescent lamps;

Some people suffer headaches, eyestrain and discomfort from these lights; the long tube variety are more dangerous to replace, increasing the risk of both cuts and electric shock; they require ballasts that can overheat increasing the risk of fire; they contain mercury and lead so pose both a health and environmental hazard when being disposed of.

These factors are quite apart from the fact that they are in the opinion of many people aesthetically inferior to incandescent lamps.

They may well reduce energy consumption by about 70 percent compared with the comparable incandescent lamps but a cost benefit analysis might not be so clear cut when these other seven factors are taken into account.


Don Benjamin
Convenor/Research Officer
Health, Safety & Environment Consultant
Cancer Information & Support Society
6/56 Chandos St
St Leonards NSW 2065

Don Benjamin

None of your responses so far to Malcolm Turnbull’s announcement of the phasing out of incandescent lamps has addressed the health, safety and environmental issues of the resulting significant increase in the use of fluorescent lamps.