Now they are telling us to use those cute little curly compact fluorescent light bulbs because they will save energy, but I decided to check into them first. I found out that they, along with linear, U-tube and circline fluorescent tubes, bug zappers, tanning bulbs, blacklights, germicidal bulbs, high output bulbs, and cold-cathode fluorescent bulbs, high intensity discharge bulbs, and neon bulbs, all contain a "little bit of mercury".
A little bit doesn't sound too bad, but if everyone is using them that "little bit" is going to add up to be a lot of mercury in the landfills. If you read my "Free Enterprise and Purchase Power" blog about how we are getting blamed for killing the environment for using plastic shopping bags and plastic water bottles I'm pretty sure we will get blamed for this also sometime in the future.
Then there's the mercury risk to consider if you break one of them. The EPA has actually has a "tip" sheet about how to safely clean up a broken CFL. I would have posted it here but it's almost two pages long. If you copy and paste this into your browser it will take you there. I strongly suggest you read it if you are using CFL's.
http://www.epa.gov/cfl/cflcleanup.html
After I read it, I decided just to stick with the light bulb that's been around for 100 years or so.
So I can see where you are coming from as far as mercury being bad. but its not like they are creating mercury for the bulbs. It already exists. I guess im unsure if there is any reason not to use it for non-medical, non-human contact applications if it reduces other problems? If it leaked out of the bulb I can understand.
ReplyDeleteIt's the leaking out part that I'm concerned with. Even though they are being used in homes, fluorescent bulbs, including neon bulbs, have been used primarily in businesses where they are more likely to be disposed of properly. I have read quite a few recommendations saying they should be sent to recycling centers. If everyone in the US starts using these bulbs and is just throwing them away in the regular trash, the bulbs are not just going to sit there. They will get broken, and the mercury will go into the environment, unchecked, and come back to us probably through the water. Then there's the issue of cleaning up a CFL if it breaks in your home. I do not want to have to refer to an instruction sheet to tell me how to clean up the mercury safely.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments, Mathew. I am just passing along information about this, not trying to convince anyone one way or the other. I am choosing regular light bulbs for now until I do some more research that may change my mind again.