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Fluorescent lights work by producing an electron flow between the electrodes at each end of the tube producing ultraviolet light, which is in turn absorbed by the phosphors coating (substances that emit light when excited by radiation) the tube's inner wall. Those phosphors convert and re-radiate the ultraviolet light as visible light. The mix of phosphors determines the color of the light produced. Current fluorescent lighting uses standard phosphor blends: cool white, deluxe cool white, warm white, deluxe warm white, white, and daylight. The "cool" phosphors resemble daylight and are more nearly color neutral, while the "warm" phosphors tip the spectrum toward the red end and resemble incandescent lighting. There are also newer bulbs called Full Spectrum that attempt to reproduce daylight more closely but tend to be expensive. First and foremost to note is that all fluorescent lights produce ultraviolet light. So my concern is the UV light. Even though the amount produced is a lot less than what the sun puts out, over time the UV radiation (3-7 years) produced by fluorescent lights will bleach the color (photochemical degradation) on the layout depending on the amount of exposure and the pigments used in the items - tree and grass material tends to suffer sooner while cars and plastic a bit later. Buying cheap bulbs and adding filters are a possibility but sleeves can be expensive at $15 to $18 per tube (though there are companies selling 2x4 ceiling covers they're still expensive). I'm wondering how others might be dealing with this issue. Has anyone run into this? Is it a problem?
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