Is Fluorescent Lighting harmful to humans? And, alternately, can they be Healthy for humans?

In some cases overexposure to florescent lights coincides with underexposure the sun. We need some sunshine for vitamin D and general well being.
As far being beneficial, I have heard of using bulbs that mimic the suns rays to decrease depression. I now someone that tried this, but I am not sure how well it worked.

I agree with @vincentcent‘s response and want to add that being under fluorescent lighting can make me depressed. I just hate being indoors and I hate artificial lighting. If the fluorescent lighting is offset substantially by natural light, it makes indoor spaces tolerable for me – a huge difference.

Example of bad fluorescent lighting
Example of good fluorescent lighting

The difference in the two scenarios above is window area. People have studied the effect of views to the outdoors on building occupant satisfaction. In short, it makes a difference. A lot of times when a space is heavily illuminated with fluorescent lighting, there is little or no window area in the space. Indirectly, this relates fluorescent lighting to occupant dissatisfaction and unhealthiness.

I’ve never had as bad a case of acne as when I had fluorescent lighting in my house. Any other lighting and it goes away, but I was a crater-face under those buzzing tubes.

Go with LEDs, they’re the future anyways.

I have use this type of lighting for many years and no harm has come to my eyes or my body. only a broken bulb is dangerous from the gas within or the danger of a cut.

If you have time, take a look at some of Dr. John Ott’s research on fluorescent lights. There’s some evidence that fluorescent lights (particularly pink fluorescent) can cause cancer in animals and abnormal growth in plants.

I can’t vouch for the validity of the research, but if you’re really interested, you can read his book Health and Light.

If operating correctly (NOT buzzing and NOT flickering in any noticeable way) and you haven’t parked yourself right next to the magnetic field of the ballast transformer I’d guess there isn’t really any harm to them. But I’d say they aren’t as healthful as sunlight. Objections regarding the mercury from broken bulbs are well noted in earlier answers and are widely considerred to be manageable with minimal education about not handling the coatings. Objections regarding the mercury vs none in incandescent bulbs are uninformed because the extra amount of electricity used to operate incandescent bulbs of equivalent brightness over some period of time vs that required for fluorescent will in the US come more from largely coal-fired power plants and generate as by-product way more mercury in exhaust gasses into the air than is contained in the flourescent bulbs—and that is Not At All manageable. Beyond that, I mean, you know, I mean how subtle or indirect do you want to get… artificial lighting of all sorts are enablers of some of humanity’s most interesting activities and some of it’s most mundane and drudging activities which would otherwise not be possible.