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Light Bulbs: No Longer a Bright Idea

Imagine a well-lit room that doesn’t need any….light bulbs. In the future, rooms could actually be lit by the walls, the ceiling, and perhaps even the furniture.

It’s not as far-fetched as it might sound. Researchers have discovered how to create light using ultra-thin layers of plastic coated with red, green and blue dyes. When an electric charge passes through them, they create a non-heat producing light that looks like daylight. The only hitch now is finding a way to protect the material from moisture, which stops it from working.

The material, called organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) is already being used in some cell phone displays and MP3 players. It can be printed onto glass and plastic and therefore could be used throughout an office or home. It could potentially save enormous amounts of electricity, since more than 20 percent of the power used in American buildings is burned to create light.

Reducing energy use not only saves money, it reduces carbon dioxide emissions, which in turn would help reduce global warming and air pollution.

To learn more about this story, click here.

To find a copy of the research report, please visit www.nature.com.

To read more about this and other environmental health issues, go to: www.environmentalhealthnews.org, www.ourstolenfuture.org, or www.healthandenvironment.org