Dear Umbra,
Here in Texas, where it is very hot in the summer (granted, we deserve to be in hell for having produced George Bush), some of us have been enthusiastically switching our light bulbs to cooler compact fluorescents. Is this a bad thing due to the mercury they contain?
Lisa
Smithville, Texas
Dearest Lisa,
Thanks for your question, as it will allow me to keep shedding light on the compact fluorescent issue. Compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) last far longer and use electricity more efficiently than conventional incandescent bulbs. Buy them if you can. They do contain a minuscule amount of mercury -- roughly four milligrams, or an amount the size of the period at the end of this sentence. (By comparison, a watch battery can contain up to 25 milligrams of mercury.) Hence, when a compact fluorescent bulb has reached the end of its long life, you should, if possible, take it to a hazardous-waste disposal facility rather than dumping it in the trash.
That said, the mercury in compact fluorescent bulbs currently does not pose a major problem -- and you know I don't take pollutants lightly. In municipalities such as Grist's hometown of Seattle, which is emphasizing conservation as a cost-cutting measure and pushing CFLs to the point of sending them free to ratepayers, there is an attendant concern about the solid-waste-disposal effects down the road. But let me emphasize: The tiny punctuation of mercury should not stop you from buying CFLs, any more than it stops you from wearing a watch.
One final note: Burning fossil fuels to generate electricity creates mercury pollution. Thus using compact fluorescent bulbs actually reduces mercury pollution, because CFLs use far less electricity than incandescent bulbs.
Lightly,
Umbra
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Comments
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snyunt Posted 8:53 am
18 Feb 2007
Great news on the mercury in CFL's - we were wondering what happens if one of them breaks in your home. what are the risks then and what do you for a safe clean-up.
Thanks!!
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indyrk Posted 3:05 am
30 Apr 2007
Yeah, but I've never accidentally broken a watch battery! How many light bulbs get accidentally broken each year?? What about your retailer? How un-common is it for a box of bulbs to get dropped and broken? Do you think that employee is going to run and get a hazmat unit to clean it up? How long before places like that are over-run with contamination??
Sorry to sound alarmist, but it seems there are some unanswered questions about this technology. Any comments/answers to this are greatly appreciated!!
-Rob
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indyrk Posted 3:35 am
30 Apr 2007
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluorescent_lamp
We've all been living around these types of bulbs most of our lives.
I guess my concern would be that fluouescent bulbs have been traditionally found in offices/workspaces, versus homes (places where my 10 month old does not crawl around). It would seem there needs to be more public information out there for consumers so they know how to dispose of, and properly clean up after a break!
-Rob
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jrpettit Posted 5:30 am
01 Jun 2007
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