Energy Saving Fluorescent Lights Bad for your Health-What do you think?

Question

I read in todays Parade Magazine an article written by Dr. Isadore Rosenfeld. He states that the energy saving fluorescent lightbulbs have been reported to cause migraines and seizures. He also states that these bulbs contain Mercury and if they break they can release toxin dust into the air. My question is if we know this is potentially dangerous and we know that once these bulbs are put in landfills that they will be broken, why are they being sold as being environmental "Green". I would love to hear everyone's thoughts on this.

Answer 1

do you think that I'm some kinda dummy???

regular flourescent bulbs contain mercury too and we have been useing them for YEARS and throwing them in the landfills...

Answer 2

Only if you  eat them.

Answer 3

I disagree wholeheartedly.

CFL's (compact flourescent lights) are much better for the health of the planet in the long term.  They last much longer and use significantly less energy than regular incandescent bulbs.  All waste material containing dangerous substances should be disposed of properly.  This includes batteries and electronics.  If disposed of properly CFL's are not an environmental health hazard.  They are beneficial.

I would be much more concerned with ingesting pesticides from produce than the supposed health hazards of CFL's.  Controlling the quality of the food you eat has a much greater effect on your overall health than your lightbulbs - so make all the eco friendly choices you can.  It will benefit everyone, including yourself!

Answer 4

ireallyd

Compact fluorescent light bulbs, right now, are more " eco-wise" then anything else most consumers can get a hold of (ie. incandescent) and currently save over 2000 times their own weight in greenhouse gases.

But since my house is completely on solar / wind and we REALLY need to watch usage, every light is fitted with s***w type (typical 110v lamp socket style) LED bulbs. They emit the same luminosity (typically 45) but at only 1watt rather then a 45w compact or 10w CFL. However they usually cost twice as much as CFLs which is twice as much (or more) as compacts. Still LEDs would be the way to go by far.

As for the second part of your question...

Mercury IS the lesser of the evils, without getting toooo elaborate discussing specifics (ie. which burns ozone faster, other layer's besides ozone, disposing locations, methods, wind conditions, etc), one needs less mercury gas then most others, to obtain the same luminosity in a vacuum because of mercury's longer agitated spectral wavelength. Mercury's wavelength is more blue which is a longer more "luminous" or brighter light to say sodium, which is a more light orange or shorter less bright (red being the shortest) wavelength. so you'd need more sodium or other, in the tube or more electricity to the tube, to create the same luminosity as mercury.

so mercury wins out only because the sheer volume needed is less then the others.

If you want to really lower you utility bill I have a step by step guide that would walk threw everything you need to do. You can find it at http://www.agua-luna.com/ or feel free to contact me.

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Answer 5

Fluorescent lights are more energy efficient and have a longer use life than incandescent lights. There are, however, some health and environmental issues associated with the use and disposal of fluorescent light bulbs.  You can read about a better alternative  by checking the source link below

Answer 6

The landfills now have special facilities to recycle fluorescent light bulbs.  If you are recycling newsprint, plastic, glass, old batteries and the like.  Why not fluorescent bulbs?

Answer 7

Florescant lightbulbs are better in the mercury department because coal fired power stations emit more mercury into the atmosphere powering an incandescant lightbulb than for a florescant lightbulb and a flo' bulbs murcury content. In the UK you can dispose of flo' lightbulbs safely anyway.

As for the migrane and siezure thing, if yoou get them then switch back to incandescant. I think it is a tiny minority, and I'm getting a headache now, time to move off the subject...