Posted on 03/11/2011 8:42:11 PM PST by neverdem
A lighting expert who has overseen lighting projects including the Statue of Liberty and the Petronas Towers expressed concerns on Capitol Hill Thursday about the safety of certain types of new light bulbs.
Appearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Howard M. Brandston spoke in favor of the "Better Use of Light Bulbs Act" a measure which would overturn elements of a 2007 law mandating that traditional incandescent light bulbs be phased out over the next few years.
In his testimony, Brandston claimed that parts of the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act serve as a de-facto ban on traditional incandescent light bulbs and that compact fluorescent light bulbs, or CFLs -- the most popular alternative to ordinary incandescent bulbs -- pose a risk to public health and safety.
(Click here [2] to see a 2009 CNSNews.com commentary which addresses those issues.)
The compact fluorescent lamp contains mercury, said Brandston. One gram of mercury will pollute a two acre pond. This 2007 light bulb standard brings a deadly poison into every residence in our nation.
We do not have enough knowledge of the potential consequences of being continuously exposed to the electromagnetic field that compact florescent lamps emit. There are millions of people in this country with lupus, an auto-immune disease. Exposure to low doses of light from these lamps causes a severe rash.
Sen. James Risch (R-Idaho) expressed similar concerns, during his questioning of the panel.
Has anybody looked at the EPA recommendations put out in January 25, 2011 about what you do if one of these mercury light bulbs break in your home? Risch asked.
In Idaho, weve had a number of instances where theyve had a mercury spill in a science laboratory -- or something in the laboratory in the school...
(Excerpt) Read more at cnsnews.com ...
BULBA!
I had a CFL shoot flames from the side of the base, where the electronics are a few weeks ago. Fortunately it didn’t catch anything on fire. So apparently they are also a fire hazard.
YUCK.... we are using a lot of ground beef these days.
The one over the sofa, right above my head was flickering and when I got up and looked at it, the base was partially _melted_.
I took it out of the socket and several places on the glass tube were brown and ‘bulged out’ as though they’d also melted and deformed.
It was not like that when I put it in.
I also cleaned up 4 broken ones last year and wound up with 10X the “safe level” of mercury in my blood.
[one literally -exploded- over a basket of freshly laundered clothes so I re-washed them all, thereby contaminating my washing machine]
On the ‘plus side’, they’ll probably be a long-term boon to the “population reduction” cheerleaders.
Frankly, we haven’t seen a damn bit of difference in our light bill.
I have had THREE start to malfunction in the same way. Racing in full panic mode through the house to find the cause of what was DEFINITELY something electrical burning is not my idea of fun.
I was told that the bulb needs to be in a CONSTANT UPRIGHT position to function "normally".
I have saved ALL THREE bulbs. I'm waiting for the commercial: "Have you had a CFL malfuntion in your home? Call the law offices of "Dewey - Cheatum and Howe!!"
http://www.epa.gov/cfl/cflcleanup.html
I have a couple of CFLs...Thinking I'll get rid of them ASAP.
You want to know why we have these idiotic lightbulbs?
Follow the money and see which congresscritters promoted their use and their connection with the bulb manufacturers. Then check their homes and see if they themselves use them.
Are they being used in the Capitol building?
Do it. My mother has sadly taken into them, but I told her that if I were staying over that she has to keep one room free. They give me blistering headaches.
I wonder if said congress critters would over turn their mandate if all of a sudden Americans from one end of the country to the other started mailing them CFLs in flimsy paper packaging?
Here is a test of the governments resolve we could all undertake: Mail burned out CFLs to Washington, D.C. for disposal.
If you mailed burned out incandescent bulbs to D.C., I doubt they would have any reaction other than to throw them in the trash.
But burned out CFL’s, like the one that went out over my sink, smell like arc welding gone haywire, and undoubtedly have toxic chemicals. They would go ape$hit, and potentially try to prosecute using EPA laws. If so, then they are knowingly and willingly subjecting us by force of law to live with dangerous products.
If this government wants us to put these bulbs in our homes, the least they can do is put up with the fallout from their decision.
Great minds :)
Hopefully, in 2013 when the Americans get back in the WH and the Senate has been flushed out, this STUPID act will be repealed!
Obama poses a risk to public health and safety.
I will not be surprised that they find they cause autism.
I have noticed that the rate of autism increased at the same rate with which the spread of fluorescent bulbs.
My daughter had one begin smoking last week. She turned it off and shut off the breaker to that circuit thinking she had a short. There was nothing wrong with her wiring, it was the bulb.
EPA loves the CFLs. They know that downstream they will be able to declare hazardous zones due to mercury. Then the whole U.S. can be under the control of EPA because of CFLs.
“You want to know why we have these idiotic lightbulbs?”
I know. George W. Bush couldn’t find his veto pen.
My bulb which flamed and stunk up the place, was in the upright position.
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