Our paper just ran a story about the new light bulbs. The compact Fluorescent kind. They said they are full of mercury! They said NEVER to sweep one up ...if you break it, as the mercury will "fly" all over your house.
Also they can not be thrown away in garbage...and sent to your city dump...the mercury will get into the soil. You have to take tem to recycling center and treat them as if they are TOXIC WASTE!

So why then are they so good for us????? Can anyone answer that question?

They can cause migraine headaches also. I have 2 family members who have been told by their doctors not to use the florescents. So, none in my house.

They use less energy. I think it is one of those the 'cure is worse than the disease' things. I guess it is something you must decide for yourself.

P.S. I also forgot to say that you CAN NOT use them in any light that opperates with a dimmer switch.

Something about the low current flowing through them....it will make the bulbs EXPLODE !!!!!

This topic has been discussed AD NAUSEUM here.

Either the article you read, or your interpretation of it, or both, are guilty of significant inaccuracy and sensationalization. It might be better to check things out before posting.

quote:

Originally posted by eliz553:
This topic has been discussed AD NAUSEUM here.

Either the article you read, or your interpretation of it, or both, are guilty of significant inaccuracy and sensationalization. It might be better to check things out before posting.

Ouch...kind of mean don't you think? With several states considering laws banning all other lightbulbs I think we should still be discussing the issue.

Thanks for the post hojokate

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Photomom,

I also appreciate your post hojokate. We should feel free to discuss or add posts as we see fit.

You may want to read this from Snopes about the subject.

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/cfl.asp

Jim

I don't see where eliz553 is suppressing discussion.

hojokate just said something that eliz553 feels is incorrect and so eliz553 said so. (this is discussion)

I don't think it is good for someone to be able to say anything they want without it being questioned.

I think eliz553's response is directly proportionate to hojokate's post.

On the other hand this has all been discussed in another thread anyway.

they do contain murcury but it is a verry tiny amount and if a bulb breaks you should stop what you are donig and sweep it up (don't vaccume) put it in a container (maby a used jelly jar, something w/a lid) and send it in w/your other CFL bulbs that you should be recycling as they can collect the mercury and reuse it.

It's not just CFL's but that is how florecent bulbs work so I hope anoyne who may have the long bulbs in their basement also folows the propler procedure of recycling whne those burn out also.

quote:

Ouch...kind of mean don't you think? With several states considering laws banning all other lightbulbs I think we should still be discussing the issue.

Thanks for the post hojokate

Perhaps a gentler response would have been better. I think it was a bit harsh also.

I also agree that even if the subject has been discussed before there are some of us who are not aware of that. Also, none of us has to respond to a thread that we believe to be repetative.

Thanks to hojokate for the post and opening the subject up for discussion again.

quote:

Originally posted by paint&brush:

quote:

Ouch...kind of mean don't you think? With several states considering laws banning all other lightbulbs I think we should still be discussing the issue.

Thanks for the post hojokate

Perhaps a gentler response would have been better. I think it was a bit harsh also.

I also agree that even if the subject has been discussed before there are some of us who are not aware of that. Also, none of us has to respond to a thread that we believe to be repetative.

Thanks to hojokate for the post and opening the subject up for discussion again.

I agree with Paint&Brush. hojokate is asking us for additional information. I know there is a posting in this forum that explains how to clean up after a bulb breaking but the information is provided in a link on a post, not on the thread discussion itself. So how would someone know about that just from reading all previous posts unless they clicked on every link as well?

Aside from that let's keep the discussions open.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: still tryin,

Also I have never heard any info about the bulbs causing migraines so that is something that has never been brought up before.

Well, I'd agree with much of what everyone has said here -- except for one small thing. The OP posted the exact same thing a couple weeks ago on a different thread. And after that post, there was some interesting dialog re: the bulbs. One post indicated the availability of Dim-able fluorescent bulbs (thanks OMW!)

I'm NOT a fan of these for a variety of reasons. But I think in addition to continuing to talk about how bad they are, we need to actively seek and discuss the GOOD alternatives.

Additionally, I've read (and can't remember the source - will need to find it later) that there is SUBSTANTIALLY more mercury being disposed of in the making of traditional incandescent bulbs. Yes, those folks obviously know (or should!!) how to dispose of the mercury properly.

The whole thing to me boils down to eduction, knowledge and willingness to look at all sides and options.

I have bought a couple of the CFL bulbs that have a "covering" over them so you don't see the ugly coils. But something we also read about is that CFL bulbs should be "primed" before use by leaving them on for something like 72-100 hours straight to maximize their life-span. Most people probably don't do that.

The mercury is also of concern to me, because most people probably won't bother to horde up their used individual CFL bulbs nor make a separate trip to a recycling center for a single bulb at a time.

I've been reading about LED light bulbs lately- supposedly much safer than CFL... and just as energy efficient if not more so.

quote:

Originally posted by DESIGNENE:


I've been reading about LED light bulbs lately- supposedly much safer than CFL... and just as energy efficient if not more so.

I've really had an interest in the LEDs as well. It seems like they're starting to appear in more places and become more easily available to the public.

We stayed in a hotel a couple months ago that had LED nightlights (the kind that was permanantly installed to illuminate the room exit). I was astounded at how cool the light stayed (it was on 24/7) and at how brightly it lit the room. We actually ended up trying to cover it a bit since it was TOO bright for sleeping.

How about disposing of Halogen blubs?

I too have heard that these bulbs can cause migraines, and even seizures. It has to do with the rapid flickering of the light. I think the newer bulbs are being improved, and this is less of a problem. The first bulbs made things look light green or yellowish, very unappetizing in the kitchen.
There is mercury in the bulbs, but then again, what all is in the things we have used daily for years, unknowingly. Atleast we know, and we're not chewing on them. Mercury was in the old thermometers for taking body temps!
Yes many of the newer bulbs can be used on dimmer switches, many of the bigger stores have displays of the various bulbs, and reccommended usage.
Now back to the mercury factor. We were sitting in the kitchen one night with some friends, discussing the longevity of the bulbs, 5 of which are directly overhead on the ceiling fan. I made the comment as to how long they had lasted, and holey moley, one blew out! It sizzled and smoked, and stunk horribly. I hope we weren't poisoned! It is the only bulb that has burned-out in that way. Has anyone else had this happen? ,

i don't like the CFLs because of the light that they put out....it's not pleasing to my eye...Now, i do have them in my outdoor light fixtures that are on from dusk to dawn and i am not concerned about the quality of light.

a friend of mine lives in CA and it is my understanding that all new electrical needs to use fluorescents...Glad i'm not out there...

i will stock pile incandescents if they start to do away w/ them unless the type of light changes...

I'm not 100% sure on this one but I have heard that you souldn't put them in ceeling fans cuz of the bibration of the fan shortens the life of the bulb.

don't know, ever looked more into it.

and KJH i found this for you at http://www.physicscentral.org/lou/2001/bulbs.html


Q - We're confused about the difference between fluorescent and halogen bulbs. Fluorescent bulbs are classified as hazardous waste because they contain mercury. Do halogen bulbs also contain mercury? - LR and APM, Washington, DC


A - These two types of bulbs are quite different from one another and only fluorescent bulbs contain any mercury. A halogen bulb is a modern variation on the old-fashioned incandescent bulb and uses thermal radiation from a white-hot tungsten filament to produce its light. In contrast, a fluorescent bulb produces light without heat, at least in principle, and begins that process with an electric discharge in mercury vapor.

The path to white light in a fluorescent bulb is somewhat complicated. The bulb contains a thin vapor of mercury and other gases and electrons are injected into that vapor by heated metal electrodes at the bulb's two ends. An electric current is then driven through the mercury vapor, causing the mercury atoms to emit light. But the light they emit is primarily invisible ultraviolet light, a seemingly foolish waste of energy. However, this ultraviolet light never leaves the bulb and instead allows the bulb to emit a carefully tailored spectrum of visible light.

The ultraviolet light is absorbed by a thin coating of white phosphor powder on the inside surface of the glass envelope. That powder uses energy from the ultraviolet light to emit a mixture of visible wavelengths through the phenomenon known as fluorescence. While some of the ultraviolet light energy is wasted as thermal energy, most of it becomes visible light. The color of that light is determined primarily by the mixture of chemicals in the phosphor powder. There are a variety of common phosphor mixtures that give us cool white, warm white, deluxe cool white, and deluxe warm white, among others. The warmer mixtures imitate incandescent lighting while the cooler mixtures are more like daylight. Most bulbs are labeled according to their phosphor mixture. And a trip to Los Vegas will point out that not every fluorescent lamp produces white light; advertising signs based on colored fluorescent lamps are everywhere.

A halogen bulb is quite similar to an ordinary incandescent: both use electric currents to heat their tungsten filaments to white heat. But the lifetime of any filament is limited by its tendency to sublime-its tungsten atoms evaporate directly from solid to gas and then deposit themselves as a black smudge on the top inner surface of the bulb. However, in a halogen bulb, a tungsten recycling process constantly rebuilds the filament. That recycling, which depends on halogen compounds in the small, hot glass tube, prolongs the filament life so dramatically that the filament can operate several hundred degrees hotter than that of an ordinary bulb and still have an excellent operating life. A halogen bulb's hotter filament gives it a whiter, more energy-efficient light.

Although a halogen bulb does contain toxic bromine and iodine, those chemicals are common in seawater and pose little health threat in such small quantities. However, the mercury in fluorescent lamps is less innocuous and it can and should be distilled out of discarded fluorescent lamps for recycling and reuse.