CFL's and you

[Donzo]

With the global dumbing of the world comes things that make you go...uh, what?

One of the big pushes by the al bores of the world is a shift to using CFL's (compact fluorescent light bulbs) instead of traditional incandescent light bulbs in an attempt to save money and reduce the dreaded, world ending, hoax called global warming.

When one of these things breaks, it is not such a small deal dealing with the cleanup.  The EPA has even come out with a procedure to follow when dealing one of these breaks in your home...it's not as easy as just sweeping up the broken pieces.

So what is actually gained?  Are the risks to you and your loved ones worth the "savings"?

http://www.epa.gov/mercury/spills/index.htm#fluorescent

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7431198

[gwano]

another part of the equation is that the vast majority are manufactured in china.
this doesn't help our trade problems, but the Al Bores of our country cant be bothered with such trivial issues as that.

Seems like Al Bore is contradicting himself on being "green" though.The mercury into the environment is not exactly "Environmentally Freindly"

[Yossarian]

With the global dumbing of the world comes things that make you go...uh, what?

One of the big pushes by the al bores of the world is a shift to using CFL's (compact fluorescent light bulbs) instead of traditional incandescent light bulbs in an attempt to save money and reduce the dreaded, world ending, hoax called global warming.

When one of these things breaks, it is not such a small deal dealing with the cleanup.  The EPA has even come out with a procedure to follow when dealing one of these breaks in your home...it's not as easy as just sweeping up the broken pieces.

So what is actually gained?  Are the risks to you and your loved ones worth the "savings"?

http://www.epa.gov/mercury/spills/index.htm#fluorescent

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7431198

It's only risky if you manage to break the thing in the first place.

[lasersailor184]

It's only risky if you manage to break the thing in the first place.

Like say, when you throw it out.  Or it breaks in the trash.


The CFL business is all roadkill. 

[Donzo]

It's only risky if you manage to break the thing in the first place.

Oh, that will never happen...right?

Is it worth the risk?

[Pei]

another part of the equation is that the vast majority are manufactured in china.

The vast majority of everything is made in china - light bulbs aren't going to make much difference.

[DREDIOCK]

Read the back of the package of one of those.

"Warning. Lamp Contains Mercury. Manage in accord with Disposal Laws"

So even if you believe in global warming. Your left on the horns of a dilemma .
Contribute to global warming.
Or poison the ground.

[gwano]

The vast majority of everything is made in china - light bulbs aren't going to make much difference.

"The vast majority of everything is made in china"  

Your'e right, lets just keep sending our money to foreign countries, for bad products, at any cost because it won't make that much difference.
I didn't think of it that way.

[Fulmar]

Read the back of the package of one of those.

"Warning. Lamp Contains Mercury. Manage in accord with Disposal Laws"

So even if you believe in global warming. Your left on the horns of a dilemma .
Contribute to global warming.
Or poison the ground.

Very few people I know recycle their rechargeable AA's etc or their lithium camera batteries.  If we're gonna play this game, let's all get on board now!

I've broken one CFL in the last 2 years or so, I knew the potential dangers of cleaning it up so I was careful.  But as for recycling them?  There's maybe one spot in my town of 60k that does it.  Recycling in this country could do a whole lot better, especially with the cost of metals these days.

[Gunslinger]

Very few people I know recycle their rechargeable AA's etc or their lithium camera batteries.  If we're gonna play this game, let's all get on board now!

I've broken one CFL in the last 2 years or so, I knew the potential dangers of cleaning it up so I was careful.  But as for recycling them?  There's maybe one spot in my town of 60k that does it.  Recycling in this country could do a whole lot better, especially with the cost of metals these days.

That in of itself is yet another scam.  Recycling anything other than certain metals (IE aluminum, copper) produces more polutants and uses more energy that it does to put them in a land fill.

[lazs2]

I use em cause they don't seem to burn out and they probly save me a buck or two in juice.   They also gave me a crapload of em for free a while back.    The first ones were crappy.. the new ones start right up and put out a lot of light.

If I need to get rid of one I will simply throw it in the garbage.   

lazs

[john9001]

places that sell them will take the old ones back.

do you know how they are made, each bulb only uses a tiny drop of mercury which is vaporized when the bulb is manufactured.

[lazs2]

easier to just throw em in the garbage.. and.. think of the gas we save not driving around looking for a place to recycle the damn things.

lazs

[Fulmar]

That in of itself is yet another scam.  Recycling anything other than certain metals (IE aluminum, copper) produces more polutants and uses more energy that it does to put them in a land fill.

The point of recycling the metals in batteries is very worth while.  Lithium and cadmium (along with some other chemistries) are poisonous.  When I worked at Batteries Plus in college (over a 3 year span), the cost of nickel alone when up about 60%.  We were given figures on the lead market and since 2003 lead was up some 300%.  Thankfully about 80-90% of your car battery contains recycled lead.  Last time I checked, metals don't grow on trees.

[Donzo]

places that sell them will take the old ones back.

do you know how they are made, each bulb only uses a tiny drop of mercury which is vaporized when the bulb is manufactured.

So what?  The mecury vapor is released when the bulb is broken and it is the hazard.

Mercury concentration in the study room air often exceeds the Maine Ambient Air Guideline (MAAG) of 300 nanograms per cubic meter (ng/m3) for some period of time, with short excursions over 25,000 ng/m3, sometimes over 50,000 ng/m3, and possibly over 100,000 ng/m3 from the breakage of a single compact fluorescent lamp. A short period of venting can, in most cases, significantly reduce the mercury air concentrations after breakage. Concentrations can sometimes rebound when rooms are no longer vented, particularly with certain types of lamps and during/after vacuuming. Mercury readings at the one foot height tend to be greater than at the five foot height in non vacuumed situations.

Although following the pre-study cleanup guidance produces visibly clean flooring surfaces for both wood and carpets (shag and short nap), all types of flooring surfaces tested can retain mercury sources even when visibly clean. Flooring surfaces, once visibly clean, can emit mercury immediately at the source that can be greater than 50,000 ng/m3. Flooring surfaces that still contain mercury sources emit more mercury when agitated than when not agitated. This mercury source in the carpeting has particular significance for children rolling around on a floor, babies crawling, or non mobile infants placed on the floor.

Link: http://www.maine.gov/dep/rwm/homeowner/cflreport.htm