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People are excited about the new compact florescent light bulbs (CFL) because they use considerably less energy and have a relatively long projected life span compared to standard bulbs. But CFL’s contain a small amount of mercury a naturally occurring substance and known poison to animals. The mercury is released as soon as the bulb is broken. I wonder if this is one wrong being used to create another. We want to save energy now but at what cost. At my employment CFLs are highly encouraged. What will the accumulative effect be say in 20 years or in 40. How many millions of CFL’s in the landfill before we cry WTF?
Feed back appreciated!
Feed back appreciated!
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Portland
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Re: honestly
Sun, November 16, 2008 - 3:03 PMWell, it is certainly not a perfect solution to the environmental impact of artificial lighting but it is an improvement over incandescent lighting.
According to DEQ:
"Over its lifetime, one single CFL bulb prevents 2,000 pounds (1 ton) of carbon dioxide from heating the atmosphere. It will also prevent the emissions of 8-16 pounds of sulfur dioxide which produces acid rain. CFLs also reduce nitrogen oxide emissions which contribute to atmospheric ozone and can cause severe health hazards."
www.deq.state.mi.us/document...chure.pdf
At this point, CFL's are simply the lesser of the evils and the better choice until a perfected solution can be found.
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Re: honestly
Sat, November 22, 2008 - 9:47 AMDon't regular lightbulbs also have mercury in them? -
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Unsu...
Re: honestly
Tue, December 2, 2008 - 9:59 PMCFLs, like all fluorescent lamps, contain small amounts of mercury[36][37] as vapor inside the glass tubing,averaging 4.0 mg per bulb [38] ,and it is a concern for landfills and waste incinerators where the mercury from lamps is released and contributes to air and water pollution. In the U.S., lighting manufacturer members of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) have voluntarily capped the amount of mercury used in CFLs. [39] Some manufacturers such as Philips, GE, TCP Inc. and Turolight make very low mercury content CFLs.[40] In 2007, Turolight claimed its new Genesis Fusion line contained only 1mg of mercury, making it the lowest EnergyStar approved bulb in North America.
In areas powered by coal, CFLs end up marginally saving on mercury emissions versus incandescent bulbs, due to the offset power use (coal releases mercury as it is burned)[41]. This effect is irrelevant in areas not powered by coal, and applies to bulbs which have run long enough to become dim as the mercury adheres to the glass[42]. In old bulbs, as little as 11% of the mercury may be released[43].
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