Just to be clear here:
I have no personal opinion, positive or negative of the fyrlyts!
My position on their ability or effectiveness is totally neutral.
The points I'm trying to get across here is the misinformation as to what constitutes marketing garbage and science fact.
another piece of critical substandard marketing misinformation masquearding as scientific fact they have on their website, linked to earlier in this thread is the AM report on the health effects on humans from these blue light LEDs.
More illuminating (pun intended) is the response to the AMA report in pdf form:
LRC response to AMA report on the effects of blue light on human vision
a couple of very important points were made, for those that cant' be bothered to read it.
Quote:
Summary: Predictions of health consequences from light exposure depend upon an accurate characterization of the physical stimulus as well as the biological response to that stimulus. Without fully defining both the stimulus and the response, nothing meaningful can be stated about the health effects of any light source.
ie. if the effects of blue light from LED sources is harmful, then so it should be from daylight sources .. so we need to avoid daylight more so than the much lower power levels of LED street lights!
Quote:
Summary: Notwithstanding certain sub‐populations that deserve special attention, blue light hazard from In‐Ga‐N LEDs is probably not a concern to the majority of the population in most lighting applications due to human’s natural photophobic response.
ie. if you see a very bright point light source, you don't stare at it for 10 seconds! The reference to sub populations they made there were to infants who may be prone to staring at bright lights.
Quote:
Summary: In‐Ga‐N LED sources dominated by short wavelengths have greater potential for suppressing the hormone melatonin at
night than sodium ‐ based sources commonly used outdoors. However, the amount and the duration of exposure need to be specified before it can be stated that In‐Ga‐N LED sources affect melatonin suppression at night.
My first thought re that AMA report. How many folks are out and about 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for their entire lives! the report is basically bunk on that premise alone.
If your out and about getting your daily 12 hour blue light exposure, then the chances that your out and about to receive another 12 hours of blue light during the night is very slim to nothing at all.
Quote:
Summary: Until more is known about the effects of long ‐ wavelength light exposure (amount, spectrum, duration) on circadian disruption, it is inappropriate to single out short ‐ wavelength radiation from In‐Ga‐N LED sources as a causative factor in modern maladies.
My thoughts exactly!
Don't confuse marketing misinformation as science fact!
My avoidance of the brand stems only from the above point. I guess this stems from a serious distrust of marketing gurus (from years back when I a friend of mine was one!) :D
If it just so happens that they're using this marketing material in the manner that they do because don't really understand the implications of what they're doing, they could be forgiven .. but you'd at least expect that they'd outsource that job to someone who would have a subjective idea on the topic.