
These colors have the least amount of possible toxins. If you’re dealing with white or soft white lights, you can rest easy. These concerns are primarily surrounding red (and some other) colored LEDs-like the ones used at traffic lights or in your favorite Christmas lights. LEDs have been found to contain a number of harmful chemicals and substances including arsenic, lead, and nickel.

One of the most efficient and long-lasting types of bulbs on the market, LED bulbs pose no fire hazard thanks to their ability to absorb the heat that they create. In fact, 97% of the electricity they use becomes heat that poses serious risk to everyone in your home. The overheating capabilities of both incandescent and halogen bulbs make them frequent culprits of house fires. WIth heat output that could start a fire, there’s no telling what it could do to your skin.
#Halogen light bulbs types skin
In addition to sunburns, halogen bulbs can also burn your skin when touched.ĭon’t attempt to change one of these bulbs until waiting for it to cool.

So, although some UV exposure might be good for you, it’s important to take the necessary precautions if you’ll be directly exposed to it for an extended period. Halogen bulbs also emit UV rays when turned on. Yes, halogen bulbs are more efficient than their incandescent counterparts, but unfortunately, their warmer temperature output poses a fire hazard, especially if they are touching one item for too long. However, this doesn’t mean that they’re the safest light bulbs out there. So, you get no blackened bulbs and much more time before you need to replace it. The gas in halogen bulbs push the tungsten back to the filament. The evaporated tungsten actually sticks to the glass in a black film throughout the bulb, significantly reducing light output. However, unlike incandescent bulbs, halogen bulbs prevent tungsten evaporation. These bulbs are a variation of incandescent because they work with the same filament heating process. If a bulb breaks, be sure to do multiple rounds of cleaning to ensure no broken pieces are left behind or you may continue to find broken glass for weeks! This is especially bad news if you have small children or enjoy walking around barefoot. These nearly invisible shards can end up in your hair, eyes, mouth, and anywhere on your skin if you’re not careful. But this fragility means it is more prone to breaking with even the slightest tap or drop. The glass on incandescent light bulbs is usually made very thin. Depending on how it is installed, it may or may not lead to pieces of broken glass being scattered throughout the room for you to find in the following weeks in the most painful way possible.īut exploding isn’t the only way it can break. Thankfully, this can be avoided in bulbs that allow the heat to dissipate, lessening the likelihood of a fire.Īdditionally, if an incandescent bulb gets, wet, too cold, or lacks proper sealing, it may explode without warning. So, since they’re the most common, they must be the safest light bulbs, right?ĭespite their frequent use, incandescent bulbs still pose a few dangers.īecause these bulbs run so hot, they have been known to cause fires if in direct contact with an easily flammable material. Whether it’s primarily for decoration (string lights in a vintage bar) or serving a specific purpose (like in a flashlight), the wide variety of shapes, sizes, and uses means incandescent bulbs are here to stay for quite a while. Bulbs of this type can be found all around-from the lamp at your bedside to the headlights in your car. The most commonly used bulb type, incandescent bulbs hold a filament that lights up when heated. If you’re concerned which are the safest light bulbs in your home, this guide will help you determine which light bulbs are best for you.

The most common types of light bulbs are incandescent, halogen, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), and light emitting diodes (LEDs).

To ensure your home is the safe, inviting place it should be we’re breaking down the different light bulbs in your home. If the products we use can harm the very ecosystem that supports us, how can we be sure they aren’t harming us as well? With the recent push towards a greener, environmentally-conscious world, consumers have become increasingly interested in the dangers of products in their own homes-and rightly so.
