Study of the Effect of Compact Fluorescent Lamp on the Acetaminophen Degradation

In this study the effect of compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) radiation on the acetaminophen degradation was investigated. The effect of various experimental parameters such as exposure time, distance between light source and solution, solution volume, acetaminophen concentration and light source angle was studied. Also the synergistic effect of time and pH on the acetaminophen radiative decomposition was investigated. The final results showed the radiation of compact fluorescent lamp decomposed acetaminophen in the aqueous solution, and experimental parameters had significant effect on this decomposition. At the distance of 10 cm, light source angle of 45o, temperature greater than 40 oC, acetaminophen concentration of 0.001 M, solution volume of 5 mL and pH of 6 to 9, the maximum acetaminophen radiative decomposition was obtained. Based on the results of this study, we can conclude the radiation of CFL (such as low consumption lamps) is hazardous for biological components.