LED bulbs may be longer lasting than incandescents but surprisingly, they are far from perfect. Often touted as being environmentally safer than CFL (compact fluorescents) which contain mercury, LED bulbs are apparently not without risks either. "A study published in late 2010 in the journal Environmental Science and Technology found that LEDs contain lead, arsenic and a dozen other potentially dangerous substances." Some low intensity red LED bulbs may contain up to eight times more lead than other LEDs. Fortunately white LEDs tend to be safer though no bulb is completely green.
A particularly scary though possibly less of a concern threat today are blue LED bulbs. Some older style blue LED bulbs may cause retina damage. Are you kidding me? So much for green. To be fair, sometimes these dangers are exaggerated and even California (the kingpins of consumer safety standards), still allows red LEDs. More research needs to be conducted but until then just be aware that unless you want to go back to the Stone Age, technology always carries some risks. For that matter, even cavemen had to contend with the fact that burning wood may release VOCs and other toxic components. According to the EPA, "improperly burned wood contains many chemical substances that are considered harmful such as hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), fine particle pollution (ash), and volatile organic compounds (VOC)."
Although it would be nice if we could avoid hazards completely, so far nobody has come up with a perfect solution. In the end, you can only worry about it so much or you will drive yourself crazy. For a great selection of lamps and bulbs, please visit http://www.officesalesusa.com/office-lighting.php.
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