Office Workers: You're Screwed

A friend sent me this article from Associated Content this morning about the risks associated with fluorescent lighting. You know -- the lights in your office that make everything look ugly. According to this article they have been proven to cause cancer.

Take a deep breath.

A long term health consequence from being exposed to Fluorescent lighting is from short wave ultraviolet light that it emits. UV emissions from ceiling fixtures have been linked to a higher risks of melanoma skin cancer by the American Journal of Epidemiology.

And it's not even a new phenomenon...

In August 1982 an article was published in the well read British Medical Journal, "The Lancet," entitled "Malignant Melanoma and Exposure to Fluorescent Lighting at Work." The authors of this study examined and determined the possible connection between indoor fluorescent lights and the ever rising rate of melanoma. Taking into account such factors as hair color, skin type and the history of sun exposure it was found that working under fluorescent lights had doubled the risk of melanoma in the subjects of the research.

The next time you lose your cool at work or feel particularly stressed out, don't blame your boss or your period -- blame the lights!

Fluorescent lighting has also been known to cause headaches, eye problems such as night blindness, fatigue, concentration difficulties and irritability. It has also been observed that an increase in the brightness of fluorescent light leads to higher stress levels by raising cortisol hormone levels.

This is bad news for corporate America, colleges and universities, and anyone who shops at Wal-Mart, Target, or Costco. The good news? You have a new scapegoat for your bad moods. See? There's always a silver lining....