Could Melanoma Be Caused by Fluorescent Light? A Review of Relevant Physics

Abstract

The widespread use of fluorescent lighting dates from the late 1940s. Previously the major source of artificial light was the tungsten filament lamp, which is of relatively low efficiency as most of the radiation it emits is outside the visible range in the infrared (long wavelength) region of the eletromagnetic spectrum and is perceived only by the heat which it produces. The fluorescent tube is a “cold” light source and can be made to produce most of its output in the visible part of the spectrum at wavelengths of 400–700 nm. The luminous efficiency, the amount of useful light output for a given electrical input, can be up to four or five times greater than that of tungsten filament lamps. An added advantage of the fluorescent tube is that it is an extended rather than a point source, and so the light from it has less glare and casts softer shadows.