Did you know compact fluorescent light bulbs contain a neurotoxin called mercury?

Question

How many are in *your* home? Sure hope none of them break!

http://tinyurl.com/yq8a6l

Feel good about helping the environment NOW?

Answer 1

Using compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) actually REDUCES mercury pollution.

This is a typical error caused by not considering all factors.

Fossil fuels contain mercury.  Using incandescent bulbs causes more mercury to be emitted from power plants.  More than the small amount that is in a CFL.

It's better if you dispose of old CFLs properly so that even the tiny amount of mercury is not released.  But, no matter how they're disposed of, CFLs reduce mercury pollution.

http://www.cityofberkeley.info/sustainab...

Answer 2

Whilst the amount of mercury used in production a CFL bulb is at most 6mg, the average mercury content is 4mg. The total emissions of mercury created by a CFL bulb from electricity consumption over its lifetime is about 2.4mg of mercury. In comparison the emissions from an incandescent light bulb through electricity consumption is about 10mg. Therefore overall CFLs result in a slightly less amount of mercury emitted over the lifetime of a CFL bulb. The real gain is the reduction of 38kg of Co2 per CFL per year and an overall saving of 14% on your electricity bill.

Recycled CFL bulbs are crushed in a machine that uses negative pressure ventilation and a mercury absorbing filter allowing the mercury to be reclaimed.

If you break a CFL, clean up broken bulbs with care. First sweep up all of the glass fragments and phosphor powder (do not vacuum), then place in a plastic bag. Wipe the area with a damp paper towel to pick up stray shards of glass or fine particles, and place the used towel in the plastic bag as well.

For proper disposal of broken bulbs, the best solution is to save them for a community household hazardous waste collection.

Note: It is assumed the emissions from electricity consumption is from standard electricity supply. Should renewables be used then the emissions of mercury would be 0mg (not including the production of the renewable source), however for the use of incandescent bulbs to be effective we would need to be using a high proportion of renewable energy.

PS ... you can now get CFLs with ultra-low mercury levels.

For a detailed look at CFLs;

http://howtosaveenergy.blogspot.com/2007...

Energy Saver

http://howtosaveenergy.blogspot.com

[e-mail]

Answer 3

What's your point?  You going to eat or snort the lightbulbs?  If not, I wouldn't worry about it.

Answer 4

All fluorescent lights contain small amount of mercury, not just traces of mercury. The matter is mercury is the very substance which emits white light, may be mercury light is even a bit bluish. To make light a little yellowish, they add a minor amount of sodium. Unlike mercury, sodium is completely harmless. It would be very interesting to find out how much energy is spent to produce a CFL bulb, and a regular bulb, and how much pollution created in both cases. Things here are not as obvious and simple as ecologists are trying to represent.

Think about one simple thing. Every our action (even breathing) creates some pollution. CFL bulbs are much more expensive, most likely, much more various complex actions are performed to produce them, what about pollution, natural resources consumption during this process?

Answer 5

All flourecent lights have traces of mercury in them.  Every grocery store and office building in America is literally filled with mercury, and they have been for years!  Oh no!  What are we going to do?

CF lights are great.  As much light as a 60 watt bulb with only 14 watts of power usage?  You can go ahead an d waste money on your bill.  I'm saving as much money as I can.  And you don't have to replace them as often.  It keeps getting better.

Mercury content is just a conspiratorial scare tactic to make people distrust the government.

Note: I don't believe in global warming, and I'm not worried about the environment.  I just like to save money on my electric bill.

Did you know a 100W bulb uses more electricity than a 19" TV?!!

Answer 6

And yet the government is trying to take away my GE Reveal bulbs which won't poison my family.

Answer 7

as long as you don't throw it anywhere there's no probleme.

Beside the mercury, do you think that the fluorescent substance on the bulb is very "nature friendly"........

fluo-bulbs are great to reduce the amount of electricity one use, but they are full of toxic substances, so it's not the marvellous thing people say.........

Anyway, it still help the environement, you just have to be more careful with it.

Don't believe them when they say it's gonna solve our problemes without any consequences;;....

there no mercury in the thermometer anymore, because it's toxic......

Answer 8

better throw out your thermometer too eh? it takes a lot more than traces of mercury to do any damage to you. so stop thinking you're saving us and go hug a tree or something.