Posted on 06/11/2008 7:02:10 PM PDT by JohnRLott
No matter how well-meaning, politicians frequently fail to understand all the consequences of their laws. Real world costs, the costs and benefits faced by those who will actually have to live with the regulations, often elude those who pass these rules. Yet, even by those depressing standards, problems with the mandated that people will soon be forced to use stand out.
The advantages of compact fluorescent light bulbs are obvious. While the fluorescent bulbs can cost 10times more than incandescent ones, fluorescent bulbs use 75percent less electricity and last up to 10times longer.
But longer life and energy savings come with a caveat — the fluorescent bulbs must be used for at least 15minutes once they are turned on and ideally for at least several hours at a time. Turning them off quickly after you have turned them on dramatically reduces their life expectancy. Not being able to use light bulbs simply when it is convenient is a cost the consumers will bear even if politicians didn’t factor it into their estimates of savings.
But those are just a tiny fraction of the other real world costs. As many now know, the compact fluorescent light bulbs contain mercury. The hazards are not trivial. One study found that “immediately after the bulb was broken - and sometimes even after a cleanup was attempted - levels of mercury vapor exceeded federal guidelines for chronic exposure by as much as 100 times.”
The EPA has come up with detailed advice on how to deal with how to put bulbs into sockets, cleanup spills, dispose of bulbs, and even safely transport them. For example, drop cloths should be placed on the floor under sockets in case bulbs are dropped, to cushion the fall. But if that fails, the cleanup process becomes incredibly involved. (Continued)
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Silly conservatives don’t realize all the “green” jobs this will generate to swell the economy. Thar’s gold in them there florescent bulb cleanups.
Or has some killjoy conservative economist already called this the “broken windows phenomenon”?
How about if Algore invents a hybrid bulb... incandescent for short usage and fluorescent for longer usage.
LED lights will solve these problems.
Mercury from fluorescents?
No thanks, I take mine from fish.
Aren’t we already vaccinated against mercury as infants? sarc/
I keep hearing our vaccination shots use it as a preservative. So we are preserved, right?
I’ve used them for years, and they save us a ton of money. But I certainly agree that it’s not a matter for the government to mandate. And there are a few places where I don’t want to use them, because, as you point out, they are pointless in fixtures where you only use the lights occasionally, for a short time. And they are slow to come up to full brightness out in the cold.
For reasons I don’t entirely understand our local hardware store has been selling the best compact flourescent bulbs, made by GE, for a dollar apiece all year. I have stocked up on them, because that’s a pretty good deal.
http://www.daydeal.com/product.php?productid=16210
Only $8.95 at an online retailer near you...
This bit about the danger of the mercury in the bulb is ABSOLUTELY STUPID. I ask you, “How many light bulbs have you broken in your life time”? This is the same type of stupidity as having rats consume a ton of something and then saying the product causes cancer, even though the rats died because of obesity.
The other arguments are valid. We have changed half of the bulbs in our house, especially in those areas where we do not need the intense light such as in hallways, outside, etc. They do take a long period to get to full power and they do have the flickering common to the type of illumination. But these are areas we do not frequent. So it is all right.
But having to put drop clothes under a light socket to change the bulb? This is only a sympton of the problems we are facing in our society. Next we will have to have a HAZMAT team next to us while putting gasoline into our car (if we can afford it). Or having an expert on nutrition checking we are grilling our ribs properly to prevent some massive invasion of bacteria into our bodies.
Come on people. Get real and start telling these SOCIALIST beauracrats(sp?) to get lost. Let them go someplace where they can legislate themselves into the never-never land of OZ.
I’m worried, too, about opportunity costs. Did Congress pin its hopes on a technology not ready for prime time and by pushing a choice without market support, impede development of a better solution? With LED technology rapidly advancing, did Congress in their quest to “do something” give us a short-term solution with long-term consequences? Perhaps in 20 years when municipalities are bankrupted by landfill cleanup operations, people will wish “oh, if only Congress waited just a little while longer.”
This is all very strange. To be such a health hazard, you’d think the warnings would be prominently placed on the product itself.
In a room where the lights are on 12 or more hours most days, the regular bulbs would blow about every six weeks. So, I decided to try to fluorescents just to cut down on the frequent changing. It’s a three bulb, overhead fixture. Since November, I’ve used three 13 watt, or 60 watt equivalent fluorescents. They’re still going after more than seven months. The light’s not quite as good, but I do like not having to change them so often. If I had a different shaped fixture, I could use the 100 watt equivalents, but they’re too large to fit in this particular fixture.
But, there is not one word of instructions to handle all these hazards on the packaging, and I have bulbs from two different manufacturers. All there is a little box that says:
LAMP CONTAINS MERCURY
Manage in Accordance with Disposal Laws
See: www.lamprecycle.org or call 1-800-435-4448
So, I’m sure every buyer of these bulbs is going to that website and reading it thoroughly:
Whatever the real hazards and whatever the best disposal methods, I doubt 1% of users are following the guidelines, if they happen to seek them out.
I decided to use them in the summer and during any hot weather times because by saving 75% on the electric bill I can run my air conditioner more!!! They are also, frankly, cooler than incandescents.
BUT, I keep the incandescents for fall and winter and thru spring if cold enough because they put out WARM light and WARMTH! That helps the heating bill.
I don’t give a hoot about the “environment” I just care about the electric bill and my comfort.
I wear a condom while changing the light bulb.
No reason...
thankyouverymuch /elvis
Nope, candles. At least, for as long as we don't have to depend on foreign tallow.
And turn that thermostat down, bub.
Another example would be a rational Congress person.
Maybe it feels good? Mine do especially with the Viagra.
not preserved just poisoned.
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