Light-emitting diode (LED) lightbulbs could be damaging to the retina of young children and infants, reports L’Express.com.
LED bulbs can last for 25 years and give out an intense blue-white light. They give the same illumination as a traditional incandescent lamp, but use only a tenth of the energy. They are starting to replace traditional lamps and are used in car running lights, billboards, kitchens, TVs and computers.
There is a concern that blue LEDs and cool-white LEDs are capable of exceeding safety limits of the “blue-light hazard” as defined in eye safety specifications.
The intense blue-white light of high-intensity LED bulbs places “toxic stress” on the retina, and has a severe dazzling risk. Youngsters are particularly sensitive to this risk as their eyes are still developing and the lens is not capable of filtering out the light wavelengths.
Safety watchdogs say the intensity of LED lights should be reduced and public use restricted to lamps that give off the same intensity as traditional ones. High-intensity LED lamps should be for professional use only.
Watchdogs also say manufacturers should state the potential danger of high intensity LEDs on their packaging, and that, for public safety, only low-intensity LEDs should be sold.