And third, we ought to do whatever we deem appropriate as consumers to encourage further development of such things as LED light bulbs (which use less electricity than flourescents, have no more hazardous materials than incandescents, and have the longest lifespans of any currently available consumer lighting technology).
Right now, available LED "light bulbs" are horrendously expensive as compared to alternatives, but research is ongoing, and economy of scale, were the technology more widely embraced, would have some impact as well.
Fixtures/rewiring are an economic concern with most of the LED tech currently available, as well, though inexpensive inverter tech can step in tghere, as well.
I've been watching availability and pricing for some time, and more than likely will start converting twc central to LED lighting when my personal economic beak-even (or get ahead) point is reached.
In a very, very small way, I've already begun the switchover, as I've slowly phased out my old flashlights in favor of white light LED flash lights that have longer battery life and brighter light.
CFLs have very little mercury in them and it is in the form of vapor. There is little chance of mercury illness from the VERY SMALL amount of mercury vapor.
However, there should not be a ban on regular light bulbs. I agree 100% but the hysteria over mercury is overblown. There are ways to handle CFLs if they break just as you would have precautions if you spilled a household cleaning solution.
We use to have thermometers in homes that had A LOT of mercury in them and when they broke kids played with the mercury. We are not all dead and the amount of mercury in a thermometer is not vapor and it is a heck of a lot more than in a CFL.
I forgot to mention that since it is vapor it will not end up in streams. It will dissipate into the air.
David,
I agree 100%. We as a nation need to encourage more research and development to address our issues. The same goes for oil dependence. Drill to address the issue in the short term but research options and opportunities for alternate fuel sources such as wind, solar and nuclear. I was not even aware that LED technology was capable of providing enough light to be viable in this way.
Big Dog, I understand where you are coming from but my objection is the fact that this is glossed over. In this country our society puts warnings on everything over the remote possibility that something might go wrong regardless of the probability that it could. And now there is a real potential for a problem because mercury is a poison. I do not have an issue if you or me want to buy the CFLs. I probably will someday to save electricity, but I understand how to handle them. There is no notification anywhere to people informing them of the risks at all. And then for our government to ban the current technology when there is no real proven driver is just wrong.
Remember how the enviros pushed for oxygenates in gaasoline so that it would burn cleaner. They backed MTBE and a few years later found out that MTBE runoff polluted ground water and then tried to ban that. And now the push for ethanol driving up food prices. Technology is available to synthesize ethanol from cellulose based plant life such as the corn stalks and other byproducts without affecting the food supply but we had to rush headlong without considering the consequences.
How many more unintended consequences must we endure before someone recognizes that so called environmental solutions must be carefully vetted out and not just rushed into. Doing something becuse it feels right is not always the best path. The current push for CFL bulbs is another feels good solution that is being rammed down our throats without any planning or consideration of consequences and certainly not within a market framework. Like it or not, when we allow the market to drive, the best solutions usually win out - not always but more often then government mandates.
Regarding the mercury vapor dissipating into the air, that is correct which is why the EPA recommends tht the room be vacated for 15 minutes. But if people are not told to do this upfront and repatedly, they won't know.
My concern is the child who take a deep breath in the middle of a screaming cry and inhales two lungs full of mercury vapor. What will happen to her?
I refussssssssssse to give in the madness my friend!
I live in apartment bullding and the owner is forcing the placement of CFL's in every unit. I have documentation regarding these bulbs that indicate that should any one inhale mercury from a broken bulb (as the mercury becomes vapour), then, lung disease and death occur. I also have documentation that some people's CLFs have sparked and began to smoke. A woman I spoke to watched a documentary about CLFs about 2 weeks ago and she said she saw a woman on the program. This woman's whole side of her face was burned because she sat down beside her CFL lamp to read a book. I have documentation that CFLs are being researched to determine how much UV is being emitted. I have documentation that the Department of Natural Resources declined to comment on CFLs, and also of someone, of importance (who makes decisions without ensuring public safety), that he'll wait until there is proof that CFLs are harmful. Well, medications are researched and approved. It takes a long time for a medication to be approved. And, when certain medications are approved, it isn't until, sometimes, 20 years later that negative side-effects are documented. I wish there was a blog that everyone could use in order to overturn the ban that was so quickly voted upon (I have that documenation as well), until the government can fund the induction of LED bulbs everywhere. Thanks. I hope to hear from you. Diane
LED bulbs are becoming more available very quickly. I hope the price drops as fast as it has for CFL.
Eric
The "Mercury Vapor" in any Fluorescent bulb will also be present in the "powder"-like substance that is spilled when the bulb is broken. So it is not just an inhalation hazard.
With the switch to CFLs in full swing, what will be the issue when (I live in Dade county Florida) my local land fill receives several hundred millions of these bulbs per year (starting with the first end-of-life cycle) and the mercury in the bulbs is released into the land fill when all the bulbs are crushed during the compaction process of filling and compacting the land fill. The vapor won't be released directly into the air, it will "cling" to everything around it and over time leach into the water supply.
The cost of LED bulbs are coming down month by month, and over the lifetime of the LED bulbs (30K, 50K and even 100K hours) they are already more economical to install than CFLs - and they contain no mercury.
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