How good are fluorescent bulbs for the environment...?

Question

So fluorescent bulbs are becoming popular of late. True, they save energy, but each one of these contains mercury, and possibly other chemicals in the electronics.

How many places are there to recycle these objects, or do they get tossed into landfills? What is the result of that?

Are these bulbs good or bad for the environment? Should we push those who vend these bulbs to offer places to return them when they fail?

Answer 1

Compact fluorescent bulbs contain a very small amount of mercury, but they actually reduce mercury pollution, even if you just throw them in the trash.  

That's because fossil fuels contain mercury too, and the fossil fuel needed to light an incandescent bulb contains more mercury than the compact fluorescent.

So, if mercury pollution is a concern, you're better off using compact fluorescents (CFL).  Of course, if you dispose of them properly (many localities have a way to do that) it's even better.

This article is 5 years old, and it was true then.  Now CFLs have even less mercury in them, and it's even more true.

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

Don't deliberately break them.  It doesn't change the fact that they're good for mercury pollution, but it likely exposes more people to the mercury.

Answer 2

They are terrible

Answer 3

well they arnt supposed to be throw away, but neither are TVs Monitors (computer) fridges, and even AA batteries, so if ur conered about your florescents hurting the enviroment, think twice before throwing out those power cells in your remote.

Answer 4

Yes, the mercury is an environmental danger.  Also there is a problem that has not been publicized much.  It's that fluorescent lights emit radiation that can interfere with radio and TV, and perhaps present a biological risk as well.

Answer 5

Florescent bulbs contain mercury.  They should be broken before being placed in the trash, but then the mercury goes airborne, vicious circle.

Incandescent bulbs take more energy to power than fluorescent bulbs.  So you end up burning more fossil fuels in the power plants.

Just burn candles.  Oh wait, fires and greenhouse gases.

You just can't win.

Answer 6

well i asked that question too, in lowes and they said that the flourescent lightbulbs are good for the environment and i am pretty sure that they recycle them.

Answer 7

The mercury is worse for the environment than a regular bulb. Push for old fashioned edison-style light bulbs.

Answer 8

Mercury are usually sealed so it can't do anything. and Flourescent light are recyclable so I guess its good.

Answer 9

where do they contain mercury?

Answer 10

I just read an article about them in Mother Earth News.

Apparently, filament incandescent bulbs ALSO have a mercury contamination risk because coal-burning power plants produce mercury.

The estimate for the amount of mercury released from incandescent bulbs powered by coal-fired power plants is like, 10 something or others and it's only, like, 2.4 something or others (micrograms?  I don't remember) for fluorescent bulbs.

Either way, there IS a risk, but it's smaller for fluorescent bulbs because they only have a weensy bit in them and they use way less electricity.

Of course, you could use green power and skip the coal-powered power plant problem.

And yes, there should be places to recycle compact and regular fluorescent bulbs.  Just like they have stations for recyclable batteries (like cell phone batteries) or used motor oil.

Just another thing that needs to be addressed by waste management companies and communities and CFL retailers...they'd better get on it before the bulbs burn out and we have to throw them away.

Edit: they DO have mercury in them.  The mercury is vaporized and when electricity is applied to it, atomic particles are energized, jump to another level on the Bohr model (oh, ask your chemistry teacher about atomic models!) and when they fall back down, they release energy in the form of light.

Technically, it's a "mercury vapor lamp."

And Edison-style bulbs AREN'T the ones people usually use.  Those are Tesla-style bulbs.  Edisons are only used in, like, ceiling fans or stuff that vibrates and needs a stronger filament.

Tesla doesn't get the credit.  He came up with the incandescent bulb that practically everybody uses.

Geez, don't you people watch PBS?