Compact Fluorescent Bulbs have Mercury?!?

[M'Sharak]

Re: Compact Flourescent Bulbs and Mercury

Toresica said:
^^ You can get them from music equipment stores, I think.

There are specialized versions of some tubes (6L6, 12AX7, and so forth) for use in guitar amps (TubeWorks comes to mind) but there is no shortage of places that sell pretty much the full range of standard tubes.

For example: http://www.vacuumtubes.com/

I suspect LaxScrutiny may have been being a wee bit facetious, though.

 

[LaxScrutiny]

Re: Compact Flourescent Bulbs and Mercury

^ Guilty as charged.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Re: Compact Flourescent Bulbs and Mercury

Sorry for the bump, but a Criminal Intent episode mentioned mercury and so I thought I'd ask. A character in the episode had had her hair start falling out because she used makeup with mercury in it. This was, I assume, intentionally overstated for dramatic purposes (and by that I mean "an excuse for Goren to show his detective skills"), wasn't it?

 

[Captain Intrepid]

Re: Compact Flourescent Bulbs and Mercury

She's probably have to be eating it for that to happen. People used to use mercury based makeup, but I think they just went mad hatter instead of mr clean.

 

[137th Gebirg]

Re: Compact Flourescent Bulbs and Mercury

Babaganoosh said:
I visited that link. I am very skittish about buying any product where you have to leave the room for 15 minutes if it breaks...

I mean, I realize these things save electricity on all that. But I would much rather pay a higher electric bill than die of mercury poisoning!

This is precisely why I've been wary of buying into the whole "green" thing. Save the planet, kill the humans seems to be the order of the day.

 

[David cgc]

Re: Compact Flourescent Bulbs and Mercury

Can you provide any basis for that claim other than the fact that some lightbulbs contain trace amounts of mercury (and, further, that the only reason you're at all concerned about it and not giving that mercury to small children to play with is because you have "bought into the whole 'green' thing," at least a little bit)?

Personally, I could name a dozen things that are more hazardous to your health than the mercury in high-efficiency florescent lights, starting with the gasoline in you car, continuing on to virtually every household cleaner ever made, and anything else that says on the label "If product touches eyes, flush with water for fifteen minutes and contact a poison control center," and you can bet that none of those are environmentally friendly.

However, I do think the potential biological and chemical hazards posed by products specifically intended to be less biologically and chemically hazardous than their alternatives is something worth exploring.

 

[137th Gebirg]

Re: Compact Flourescent Bulbs and Mercury

Well, lessee...the freon issue comes immediately to mind. There are others, but they escape me for the moment. The original Dichlorodifluoromethane R-12 refrigerant was not hazardous to human health (aside from getting a flash-freeze if it blew off in your hand) but it was supposedly hazardous to the environment. The FedGov mandates that air conditioning refrigerants must be environment friendly - enter R-13, R-134, R-134a, etc., which apparently has different boiling and vapor points, is stored under higher pressure and is not only much more dangerous and volatile to handle than the old R-12, but accidentally breathing one whiff of it while engaged in the installation process will in all likelihood kill you quicker than 1000 whippits, between the toxicity factor and air displacement properties.

At least, that's what our building manager who's HVAC certified told me once when I asked him about it a couple of years ago. I'm not in that industry, but I trust the opinion of a professional who is.

Like I said, save the planet, kill the humans.

 

[137th Gebirg]

Re: Compact Flourescent Bulbs and Mercury

Oh! I forgot this little chestnut. Not so much a "save the planet, kill the humans" thing, more a "save the planet, fleece the humans" thing.

One of the reasons we pay so much of the pump is not just because of OPEC, it's because of the mandated "cleaning" additives that the EPA requires in all gasoline. So, back in the 90's, they started putting this stuff in the gas we put in our cars, and what happens? Vehicles with newer ECM computers see the additive as an adjustment factor out-of-the-norm for the gas running through the system via the fuel sensors. The computers automatically compensate for the additive, counteracting the effect the additives should be having on the combustion process, effectively negating the purpose for which the additive was included in the gasoline in the first place. Despite the good-natured intent of what they were trying to do, net-sum-gain is zero, yet we're still forced to pay the extra amount at the pump for no other reason is that it looks good in the press that the EPA is doing something about the pollution.

Update: Yeah, I know you're gonna say "prove it". I heard this thing on the radio after they did some study about 7-8 years ago. I have no idea where it came from and a cursory search on the internet has so far proven fruitless. However, I will re-upgrade the fuel additive problem to "save the planet, kill the humans" in light of this document:

http://lib.bioinfo.pl/auth:McIlroy,PJ

where some studies have been done on reformulated gasoline additives with some scary results. Yes, sniffing non-additive gasoline vapors will kill you, but the new stuff will kill you quicker, especially if you happen to work at a full-serve station. Maybe that explains people from New Jersey...

 

[TerriO]

Re: Compact Flourescent Bulbs and Mercury

Save for the fact that it's all full-service in New Jersey, so you're only really talking about the station attendants there, 137th Gebirg.

 

[John Picard]

Re: Compact Flourescent Bulbs and Mercury

Father Sylar said:

Babaganoosh said:

ElimParra said: It's already happening in the rest of the world. Here, they will be gone here in a few years.

Perhaps. But until then, I still have a choice.

You still do at the moment, but changes will happen, as other countries follow the lead of Australia and Canada who have plans to get rid of them. Several already have. I don't see any point in buying them now.

The amount of Mercury in these lights is the equivalent as you find on the top of a ball point pen - very little.

I still don't trust it.

Fine. The amount of mercury is 5mg, but there are low-mercury CFL which have around 2mg.

[/QUOTE]

The SKY IS FALLING!! The SKY IS FALLING. It's like electricity -- learn to respect it.

 

[137th Gebirg]

Re: Compact Flourescent Bulbs and Mercury

TerriO said:
Save for the fact that it's all full-service in New Jersey, so you're only really talking about the station attendants there, 137th Gebirg.

That was a bit tongue-in-cheek on my part, but there are other places out there that do still have the full-service option. It's only a requirement in NJ, although to this day, I still can't figure out why.

 

[Nightfall to-Ennien]

Re: Compact Flourescent Bulbs and Mercury

Why bother with CFLs anyway? For just a bit more per bulb, with a bit of looking, you can get LED lightbulbs that save even more power and last even longer.

 

[TerriO]

Re: Compact Flourescent Bulbs and Mercury

Oh, I knew it was tongue-in-cheek, it's just that nothing like that could explain Jersey.

It's also a requirement in Oregon. Apparently, when New Jersey even considered switching to having some self-serve pumps to try and abate the cost of gas, the natives got restless.

 

[137th Gebirg]

Re: Compact Flourescent Bulbs and Mercury

^^^ Heh. I remember the first time I got gas in Jersey back in 1991. I got out of my car, not knowing what their law was, put my card in the machine and started pumping. A guy came out and asked me what I was doing. A bit perplexed at what seemed to be a pretty stupid question, I said I was pumping gas into my vehicle. He said that I can not do that. Being a smart-ass, I quickly retorted that, as a human being with all my limbs intact, I had the physical capability to pump gas. I then lectured him on the difference between the words "can not" and "may not". I was initially irritated, but in the end, quite amused and entertained.

 

[137th Gebirg]

Re: Compact Flourescent Bulbs and Mercury

Nightfall to-Ennien said:
Why bother with CFLs anyway? For just a bit more per bulb, with a bit of looking, you can get LED lightbulbs that save even more power and last even longer.

Plus, apparently considerably safer. I'm all for this too, but due to the marginally higher cost to produce and sell, they're likely not going to catch on for a while. I think I also recently heard where all standard incandescent light bulbs (like what we've been using for over 100 years) are no longer going to be produced, like by 2012 or something. Between that and better mass-production practices, the LED bulbs will likely be more cost effective as a viable replacement by then. I really love LED's and I do hope this one gets off the ground.

And folks, don't get me wrong here. I'm all in favor of efficient power consumption and environmentally friendly concepts, just not at the expense of human health. That's throwing the baby out with the bathwater, in my not so humble opinion, and therefore should be severely scrutinized. This mindless "anything is okay as long as it saves the planet" mentality must stop or we'll wind up green-peacing ourselves into extinction.

 

[David cgc]

Re: Compact Flourescent Bulbs and Mercury

137th Gebirg said:
The FedGov mandates that air conditioning refrigerants must be environment friendly - enter R-13, R-134, R-134a, etc., which apparently has different boiling and vapor points, is stored under higher pressure and is not only much more dangerous and volatile to handle than the old R-12, but accidentally breathing one whiff of it while engaged in the installation process will in all likelihood kill you quicker than 1000 whippits, between the toxicity factor and air displacement properties.

I just did a bit of light reading to see how these gasses shaped up.

R-12: Banned in the U.S. and other countries in 1994 because of concern about damage to the ozone layer (I'll give my thoughts on this later).

R-13: Will be phased out by 2010 due to ozone damage.

R-134a: While having little ozone depletion potential, it does contribute to global warming, and so will be banned in new cars starting in 2011 in the E.U., and sale of canned R-134a to individuals is restricted in California to avoid botched amateur attempts at recharging air conditioners. Its special hazard is decomposition into toxic gasses at 482ºF.

All three also pose an asphyxiation risk if inhaled in excess, since they are denser than air. R-12 seems to be the most dangerous, followed by 134a and then 13.

Admittedly, this wasn't an in-depth study, and I never was good with chemistry, so I'm not sure if I correctly evaluated the relative hazards of use. Also, I couldn't find anything relevant on the R-12 replacements that aren't being phased out, so those could turn people into zombies for all I know.

Like I said, save the planet, kill the humans.

While admirably pithy and catchy, it isn't nearly that simple. I'm not sure where you live, but I'm in a sunny, costal area. There are only so many friends and family that can develop skin cancer and cataracts (none of them fatal, thank God) before you decide that, if it keeps UV exposure from going up, maybe it's not such a burden to wear a mask and turn on a fan while you're recharging the air conditioner.

Nor, would I argue, is taking the risk of using a lightbulb that, if broken, can pose about as much danger as using an airbrush for a quarter-hour.

 

[137th Gebirg]

Re: Compact Flourescent Bulbs and Mercury

Like I said in my previous post, and I'll post it again, as it should be a stand-alone statement and I don't want anyone to mis-understand my views on this and other related topics:

I'm all in favor of efficient power consumption and environmentally friendly concepts, just not at the expense of human health. That's throwing the baby out with the bathwater, in my not so humble opinion, and therefore should be severely scrutinized. This mindless "anything is okay as long as it saves the planet" mentality must stop or we'll wind up green-peacing ourselves into extinction.

Yes, that would be another witty statement on my part, admittedly, but no less valid in the grand scheme of things, I think.

 

[vamperalmighty]

Re: Compact Flourescent Bulbs and Mercury

i converted my home with cfl bulbs 2 years ago, and they have paid for themselfs and more, i have only had one bulb go out and that was due to it being a cheapo brand, we leave alot of lights on in the house no matter how often i attempt to turn them off and it has saved a ton in energy bills, and i enjoy the light they give off much better, only time that i have seen the bulbs take a while to light is in the garage after a cold cold night.
i also use to play with mercury back in the day and it hasnt bothered me one bit, pancakes doodie toothpick poptop monkey lighter tv truck.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Re: Compact Flourescent Bulbs and Mercury

vamperalmighty said:
i also use to play with mercury back in the day and it hasnt bothered me one bit, pancakes doodie toothpick poptop monkey lighter tv truck.

 

[Gaseous Anomaly]

Re: Compact Flourescent Bulbs and Mercury

The majority of my house is converted to CFL bulbs, I've yet to notice a reduction in energy usage. Living in Texas, it may take a while!