Short Wave
LED Lights Make You Sick? We Found Out What Causes It
Dec 22, 2023
Naomi Miller, a lighting scientist and designer at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, shares her expertise on LEDs, having studied them for nearly 20 years. She explains how certain LED lights, especially holiday ones, can flicker and cause discomfort such as headaches and nausea. Naomi dives into the advantages of LED technology, its environmental benefits, and the challenges of flicker-free options. She also discusses the phantom array effect and offers practical tips for consumers to choose better lighting.
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Quick takeaways
- LED lights can cause health issues due to flicker, leading to symptoms like headaches and nausea.
- Efforts are being made to address the flicker problem and develop standards for flicker-free LED lighting.
Deep dives
The Problem of Flicker with LED Lights
LED lights, which are more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly than traditional incandescent light bulbs, can cause health issues due to a phenomenon called flicker. Flicker is when the LED light turns fully on and off rapidly, causing discomfort and symptoms such as headaches, migraines, and nausea for some people. The problem is more pronounced with lower frequency LED lights that turn on and off 60 times per second. While most LED lights have improved in terms of flicker, there are still some products, like holiday lights, that exhibit noticeable flicker. Efforts are being made to address this issue and develop standards for LED lighting to minimize flicker and its potential health effects.
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