Mercury in energy-saving bulbs worries scientists [Environmentalists are bad for the environment]

Washington Post ^ | March 28, 2007 | Lisa Von Ahn

[grundle]

Mercury is poisonous, but it's also a necessary part of most compact fluorescent bulbs

some scientists and environmentalists are worried that most are ending up in garbage dumps.

Mercury can also damage the kidneys and liver, and in sufficient quantities can cause death.

some of the mercury emitted from landfills is in the form of vaporous methyl-mercury, which can get into the food chain

"Disposal of any mercury-contaminated material in landfills is absolutely alarming to me," said Lindberg, emeritus fellow of the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

"I have CFLs throughout my house," said Lindberg, who lives in California. "None of them have burned out yet. I can't tell you what I'll do with them when they've burned out, but I won't throw them in the garbage."

[raybbr]

Don't be so simple. Not even in winter is it logical if your heating fuel is cheaper than your electricity per unit of heat produced. And if those lamps are high in the room, or sealed in a fixture, you won't profit from the wasted heat anyway.

So. Your usual sense of humor is visiting friends tonight?

[ClaireSolt]

When I was a girl, my mother got her light bulbs from the power and light. About twice a year she took the old ones in and got replacements. Maybe that was a hold over of WWII rationing.

[adorno]

some scientists and environmentalists are worried that most are ending up in garbage dumps.

No problem, say the environmentalists...

We already have people separating bottles for collection into a blue bin, we also separate newspapers into green bin, so we'll just have another bin with the poison sign on it for collection of those mercury bulbs. Problem solved.

Trash can still go into the regular garbage can.

Any other questions?

[Salamander]

*whew!*

Thanks for posting that.
I dropped and broke one in the upstairs bathroom a few weeks ago and was feeling a bit worried about going up there ever again.....:))

[stylin19a]

at least they don’t emit co2 (or do they?)

[intenseracer]

I have been wondering what was going to come of the mercury in the bulbs...which is why we dont use them, even in miniscule amounts mercury is poison. As a rule, we much prefer incandescent. The reason is the much nicer light, and lack of “frequency” as found in flourescent.

[The_Media_never_lie]

Can’t we buy mercury offsets?

I've got some I'll sell you. I am selling them in 1/2 dozen lots. (Why shouldn't I get in on the scam?)

[PAR35]

We recycle a whole lot of stuff here

Probably less than you think. A lot of what is put in the recycle bins ends up in the landfills anyway. It is too expensive to recycle most recyclables. Aluminum cans are worth recycling almost everywhere, newspapers may or may not be, depending on where you live (do they have you separate newsprint from coated paper?), #2 plastic probably is most places, glass may depend on the color.

[Loyal Buckeye]

Thanks, but I think I’ll buy mine at Wal-Mart.

[randog]

...tell them to build us white LED room lights.

The technology is there to do that--white LED flashlights are all the rage. The only problem is that LEDs don't like 110VAC too well.

[Right Wing Assault]

Manufacturers of these bulbs will be attacked

Oh, yeah. Just like lead, asbestos, tobacco, and every chemical ever made.

"You knew all along this would kill and maim our women, children, and elderly. And our dogs and cats. But you didn't care! All you wanted were profits! Why didn't you warn us? How were we to know that fluorescent bulbs have had mercury in them for as long as they have existed? We are just stupid morons who know nothing about science, yet you took advantage of us just so you could line your pockets in the name of the environment. We thought we were saving the planet but we were killing our kids! You fooled us. We demand that our lawyers take you for every cent you ever made. We demand that the lawyers make a fortune suing you. We demand that this money be put in a trust fund to care for our maimed children. We don't really care, though, if this money is spent on them. You can waste it for anything you want, just like you did with the tobacco settlements."

[Oztrich Boy]

We recycle a whole lot of stuff here, and it’s just a question of putting it in bins and out to the curb.

Aw. That's cute. You believe that that stuff really gets recycled.

It's a feel smug program, like "carbon offsets"

[theymakemesick]

""Disposal of any mercury-contaminated material in landfills is absolutely alarming to me,""

Don't eat garbage and you won't get sick.

[Right Wing Assault]

lack of “frequency” as found in flourescent

If you mean the flicker some people see in tube fluorescents, the CFLs don't do that. Their frequency is much higher and no one can sense it.

[SunkenCiv]

Candles it is. As long as bees are not exploited, and sheep tallow isn’t used...

[Duke Nukum]

Here’s the Internet Skeptic’s guide to global warming.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bM1yuRVC2s0

Probably you can get lots of questions to ask from watching this.

[Duke Nukum]

I predict lots of mad tea parties in the future.

[TheDon]

Environmentalists are bad for the environment

Does writing bumper stickers come naturally to you? Is this one copyrighted?

[TheDon]

Look at yourself in the mirror with lighting from the two different types of bulbs and you will understand why incandescent bulbs are preferred.

If you are male, disregard the preceding.

[CodeMasterPhilzar]

Yet another case of enviro-whackos not thinking things through. They latch onto an idea and simply cannot see past the idealistic front-end benefits. They almost never consider the near-term costs, let alone long term.

I use CFL to save energy. But I'm also aware their disposal may be problematic. So when they eventually burn out, I'll just hold onto them until a workable solution is found. Thankfully they are small and shouldn't burn out for several years yet...