Why is there so much hate directed towards fluorescent light bulbs?

Question

I know they have mercury, but I think that you would have to spend most of the day sucking the vapor out of fluorescent bulbs to do any actual harm to yourself.

Answer 1

Two reasons:

1.  Lack of a coherent marketing/education strategy.  Most conservative Americans assume that CFLs are something other than they are.  Or that they do not last as long, or longer than incandescent bulbs (indeed, even a YA Top Contributor made an ignorant remark to that effect here).  Some people know that CFL bulbs contain mercury, but have no concept of proportion; that is, they do not "get" what miniscule amounts these bulbs contain in reality.

2. Selfishness.  The same conservatives who chafe and bristle over being "told what to do" are the same people who have pissed and moaned, and whined an cried, about gas being expensive as they run around in their huge, gas guzzling suv's.  

The conservative is always about selfishness.  Getting a good deal is, well, good. Getting a good deal at someone else's expense - is much better.  

The conservative will not willingly switch to any energy efficient product, just so long as the electricity is cheap.  

The conservative can't conceptualize of benefits to any action other than to himself.  The bit of energy conserved at home by himself does not translate into substantial savings across society because the selfish conservative by nature can't think beyond himself. And even if he could, he can only drip with contempt for anything that benefits anyone other than himself.

Answer 2

ignorance.

as you have already seen most people tend to hate them so much just because it impedes on there sense of freedom. some are also scared of having Mercury in there houses although they are happy to breath it in all day if they live next to a power station.

Answer 3

fluorescent lighting makes me tired. that's why i don't like it.

Answer 4

Because they let out a very bad chemical that is harmful to the human body. Even though it sves energy, wouldn't you rather live longer then save a scrap of earth at a time? Also, The sun does more Global Warming then we can do in about 4 years!

Answer 5

They are expensive, they don't last as long as incandescents, and they are toxic.

It's bad enough that fish already contain so much mercury that expectant mothers cannot eat fish, soon no one will be able to.

While each bulb contains just small amounts of this heavy metal, figure out how much mercury will be added to our landfills after every home has these bulbs, and has replaced them twice over a short period.

We should be working to get toxins out of our homes.  Not pass laws getting more toxin into our homes.

Answer 6

People are concerned because they are being told that they must accept one poison in greater amounts (mercury) in exchange for reducing another poison (CO2) with no hard data to prove it will ever make a hill of beans difference - and the fact that doing so unjustly penalizes the poor, who must now lay out 5 to 10 times as much per light bulb.

The myth that CFLs will somehow reduce CO2 is not substantiated in any data.  Fossil fuel fired power plants must maintain a minimum power generation at all times.  They don't go below that minimum, regardless of whether their customers need it or not because the boilers must run and the turbines must turn.  Taking a plant completely down is a  complicated and time-consuming affair, as is starting one up from cold.  It is much more efficient to keep it running 24/7.

That being said, most homeowners use their lights (act schocked here) AT NIGHT, when the power plants are already operating at their minimum capacity!  Therefore drawing less power from the grid does not change the amount of power being produced, or the tonnage of carbon being spewed into the air.

Another point of fact is that power plants represent a centralized source of mercury pollution - and centralized points of contamination are more easily controlled.  Dispersing millions (if not billions) of sources of mercury throughout the land (I only have 2 big flourescent bulbs in my home, but 20 to 30 incandescent bulbs) makes so much sense, doesn't it?

And lastly, read the below link to discover the "myth" that CFLs save any resources at all!  If you break one, the cost of cleanup (in ventilating then reheating/recooling the room, plastic bags, tape, vacuum cleaner bags, and driving the broken bulb to a universal wastes center) really destroys any and all "savings" you may have realized by using the bulb.

I can count on 1 finger the percentage of people in America who will properly dispose of CFLs, broken or just burned out.

As a side note - Conservatives are always more generous with their own money, time, and talent than liberals - who are always more generous with OTHER people's time, talent and money!

Answer 7

From a purely aesthetic point of view, the color of fluorescent light is unpleasant in a residential setting. Incandescent lighting provides a nice warm glow, whereas fluorescent light is harsh and cool.

Technically speaking this is due to the wavelengths being emitted. Fluorescent has strong bands at 440 and 546 nanometers (nm) which correspond to blue and green light (cool colors). You may see the term “cool white” on fluorescent light bulbs that indicate this.

Most of the light from an incandescent bulb is emitted beginning around 550 nm and increases significantly up to about 700 nm, at which point the light enters the near-infrared range and is thus no longer visible. The color of the light through this range is through yellows, oranges, to reds – all warm colors. Incandescent light more closely resembles natural sunlight in these ranges.

Other than that, (as others have said) many don’t like the idea of the government legislating what kind of light bulbs can be used in the homes we’ve purchased with what little was left after paying taxes :-)

Answer 8

flourescent lights give some people migranes

If they break you  now have  hazmat spill.

One town that was given them their power consumation went up.

Answer 9

Many people just don't like the environmental movement, the increased priority of being kind to the earth that provides us our livelihoods.

Those folks are part of the "increased consumption" movement, that supports the economic view of "making and using more" supports the U.S. economy.  These same folks equate the environmental movement with being  a bit of a "pansy"  and they consider themselves too "macho" for such things.

Still others have confused environmental conservation with "sacrificing" and doing without.  They  don't know that the best Jewelers and Auto body shops use mainly florescent lights, and REAL good ones.

Answer 10

They contain small amounts of heavy metals, mercury and lead (I believe).

So, while you save energy, you have something hazardous to dispose of properly.

Answer 11

I'm currently sitting in a factory with about 1 million fluorescent lamps(industry term for lightbulbs). I have a couple hundred in my office for quality inspection. I'm really not frightened at all. I don't hate them although I am tired of looking at them. The mercury content ranges from 15 mg (.015 grams) for the 8ft long T-12 lamp to about 3 mg for a 4ft T-8 lamp. The only lead in the lamp is from lead glass which is only found in the end pieces and that is being phased out this year or next. There are some inert gases such as argon inside but the bulb is at vacuum and it really is just trace amounts.

A standard incandescent lamp (A19) of 60 watts gives off 870 lumens and lasts 1000 hours of usage. 6.9*10^-5 W/L-H

A standard fluorescent 4ft (T8) of 32 watts gives off 2470 lumens and lasts 30,000 hours. 4.3*10^-7 W/L-H

A standard compact fluorescent of 13 watts gives off 688 lumens and lasts 8000 hours. 2.4*10^-6 W/L-H

You can make reasonable arguments about the preferance for the light quality but from an environmental standpoint the CFL is more than 10 times ahead of the incandescent lamp.

If there is some other chemical you are worried about just email me. I can tell you exactly how much of what is in these lamps. There realy is not much more to it. It's a light bulb. I'm in the factory, we make them here. Thousands break here everyday and the Mercury levels are below OSHA standards. I walk through piles of broken light bulbs and I have zero increase in my blood mercury level after 5 years of this.

Answer 12

I think it ultimetly comes down to people not being open to change...kinda scares em.. so they come up with excuses such as dislikeing CFL's, to make up for it.

Peace out.

Answer 13

If you are talking about the mandate to switch to the Compact Fluorecent Lightbulbs (CFLs), I think the hate for them is from a few different factors.

1) Freedom of choice, people in general do not like being told what to do, especially when it comes to something as silly as a lightbulb.

2) CFLs are more dangerous then a incandescent bulb. They have mercury vapor inside of them and its very dangerous. Go here: http://www.epa.gov/mercury/spills/index.... to see the EPA's reccomended clean up procedures.

3) Once a bunch of these bulbs start being replaced mercury will be introduced in mass to the environment. This is argueably worse for the environment than the energy needed for a regular bulb

and finally,

4) I've already mentioned this but, FREEDOM OF CHOICE. Most people do not care what other people think you need to do to stop global warming.

Answer 14

I think people don't like to be told what to do.  I like fluorescent bulbs because they save me money even if they are not as convenient in some ways.  I don't think they will save the earth from warming though.

Answer 15

Part of it is the radical conservatives bias against anything having anything to do with global warming.  Or government regulation.

You'll note no one got exercised (or gets exercised now) about the long ones, which have 2-5 times as much mercury, and are much easier to break.  Many type denunciations of fluorescents while sitting about 2 feet from the one lighting up their computer screen.

For the record, using compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) actually reduces mercury pollution.

Fossil fuels contain mercury.  Using incandescent bulbs causes more mercury to be emitted from power plants.  More than the tiny amount (0.005 grams or less) that is in a CFL.  And it gets blown into the air, rather than being buried in a landfill.  It's really not a close call.

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...

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/cfl...

EDIT - Note that fluorescent lights don't have to be "harsh".  You  can buy warm white instead of cool white or daylight.

Answer 16

I like them and 80% of my house uses them.  But...

1.  CFL's cost more and dont really last that much longer if you constantly turn them on and off.  They are most efficient when on 24/7.

2.  They are not dimmable - for the most part.  Someone figured out how but it requires a good amount of technology for power regulation.  Cost prohibited for now.

3.  The color is not as warm as incandescant.  I know you can buy "warm" flourescent bulbs with a pinkish tint but it's still not the same.

4.  They take time to "warm up" to reach full light output.

5.  The mercury issue.

6.  Being told what to use by law and not have a choice.

7.  Some people report eye strain and migranes with fluorescent.

8.  Flourescent light scatters in all directions and is difficult for "spot" light usage but excellent for "flood" light usage.  Highlighting a piece of art or sculpture would be an example.