London, January 5 (ANI): Health charities have warned that the use of energy-saving light bulbs may make thousands of people susceptible to painful skin reactions.

According to experts, fluorescent bulbs worsen skin rashes in people suffering from photosensitive skin conditions.

While the British Government has plans to phase out conventional bulbs use by 2011 to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, several groups are demanding exemptions for their use at least for people with photosensitive skin conditions.

“It is important that patients with photosensitive skin eruptions are allowed to use lights that don’t exacerbate their condition, the BBC quoted Dr Colin Holden, President of the British Association of Dermatologists, as saying.

“It is essential that such patients are able to protect themselves from specific wavelengths of light emitted by fluorescent bulbs, especially as they are often trapped indoors because they can’t venture out in natural sunlight,” he added.

Some campaigners have even warned that low-energy bulbs, which use approximately a quarter of the energy of conventional bulbs, may cause migraines and increase the risk seizures in people with epilepsy.

“Incandescent light bulbs are the only source of electric light for many thousands of people with light sensitive conditions. Add to this the thousands of people whose conditions or treatments may secondarily cause them to be light sensitive, and you have a large number of people potentially being isolated in the dark, said Andrew Langford, chief executive officer of the Skin Care Campaign.

“We certainly don’t want to say no to greener bulbs just that other bulbs need to be available. It’s hard for people to understand what it’s like to live with one of these conditions,” he added.

He also said that the government should finance research into the effects of fluorescent lighting on photosensitive conditions, for little research had been done to date.

“We have the anecdotal information - it’s a shame people don’t listen to those affected, he said. (ANI)