"Green" Light Bulbs Have Mercury: Who Knew?
The United States Congress has passed a bill that provides for the phasing out of all incandescent light bulbs by 2014 (100-watt bulbs can not be used after 2012).
The primary alternative for consumers today is the Compact Fluorescent Light bulb (CFL). These bulbs are said to be 75 percent more energy efficient and are promoted as lasting longer than incandescent bulbs. These two factors are used to justify the higher price tag (CFLs are approximately $3 per bulb vs. 50 cents for an incandescent).
Most consumers won't grumble too much about paying more for a longer lasting, more energy efficient bulb that saves money in the long run -- environmental experts say one CFL can save $30-$100 on reduced energy costs over its lifetime. However, this move toward greater energy efficiency is more complex than consumers might realize because all fluorescent bulbs -- both the 4-foot office style bulbs as well as the new spiral-shaped bulbs for household use -- contain mercury, a known neurotoxin. Mercury is the ingredient that makes the inner phosphor coating of any fluorescent bulb produce light.
While the mercury content in each bulb is quite small, the content is high enough to merit warnings on the Environmental Protection Agency's website as to how to clean up an area if a homeowner accidentally breaks a bulb. Consumers are told to ventilate the room immediately, and that everyone should leave the room for 15 minutes to avoid breathing the mercury vapors. A vacuum should not be used in the area, and after broken pieces are picked up by hand or using a broom, the pieces should be sealed in a plastic bag. Many municipalities specify that this waste should be taken to a hazardous waste dump rather than being thrown in the regular trash.
Even if a homeowner does not break a bulb, the disposal of anything containing mercury, including light bulbs, is hazardous. While stores such as Home Depot and Ikea have begun offering programs to recycle used bulbs, concerned citizens who do not have these stores nearby have to find hazardous waste centers in their area or mail used bulbs back to a manufacturer. In 2008 industry experts reported that only 2 percent of all CFL bulbs were being recycled.
Fluorescent bulbs that are not recycled go into the trash that then gets dumped into a local landfill. As rain comes down on the landfill, mercury from thousands of CFLs seeps into the local water supply, which then exposes both animals and humans to more mercury in the environment.
As a result of this very real environmental risk factor, inventors are moving forward to create better solutions. Thomas J. Irvine's company, ClearLite, is introducing a new light bulb in October that prevents mercury contamination if the bulb is broken.
Irvine, president and CEO of the Parkland, Florida company, was determined to make a green product that was as safe as possible. "I didn't want my children exposed to a neurotoxin like mercury, so I didn't want other people's children exposed either."
ClearLite's ArmorLite bulb has a protective silicon skin that helps encapsulate the mercury. If the bulb is broken the mercury vapor is not released into the air. Irvine's team also found that it was possible to use a mercury amalgam (similar to what is used for some dental work), which reduces the amount of mercury needed. The bulbs still need to be recycled for proper disposal.
Another invention nearing completion is the adaptation of LEDs (light-emitting diodes) into a bulb that can be used in regular household light sockets. The technology has been employed for about 40 years, and can now be found in indicator lighting systems, digital displays, traffic lights, and some types of home and office track lighting.
In 6-9 months, the chairman of Lighting Sciences Group, Govi Rao, says his company will introduce a new dimmable, energy-smart LED bulb for household use. The solid-state bulbs produced by Lighting Science Group require a fraction of the power required by regular bulbs and are expected to last 10-12 years, making bulb changing a rarity.
Rao also started his company out of long-term concern for the environment. "If everyone recycled, fluorescent lights would be all right, but it took people 25 years to become accustomed to recycling paper. Why do we think people will start recycling bulbs more quickly?" says Rao. "Short-term, the CFL bulbs save energy, but long-term -- without recycling -- we cause mutation of the human race by poisoning our environment with mercury."
This summer (June 2009) Maine passed legislation that requires CFL bulb manufacturers to share both the cost and the responsibility for recycling these bulbs. Massachusetts, Vermont, and California are expected to follow Maine's lead. However, even though Maine's bill goes into effect on September 12, manufacturers are not required to begin collecting used bulbs until 2011.
This leaves the recycling burden on the consumer for the time being. For those who do not live near an Ikea or a Home Depot with a recycling program, Vanessa Vadim, a contributor to Mother Nature Network, notes that earth911.com is a great site for finding locations near you for various forms of recycling.
Based on last week's post on mercury in amalgam dental fillings, I have heard from a good number of people with their opinions on the FDA ruling. This response shows that people are seriously concerned about mercury exposure, so I will re-visit this topic in a few weeks after doing more research.
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Let's go back to candles, fireplaces, and go to bed at sundown. We need Edison, Tesla, and a few reincarnites to come back and rescue us with new indoor lighting technology, without mercury. Is that possible? A technie needs to weigh in. Thanks Kate. Lights out!
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Thanks for posting!
Recycling used compact fluorescent light bulbs is hard. There's a much easier way to dispose of them safely: send your light bulbs to Washington!
Washington is forcing us to use these dangerous light bulbs. let Washington handle the mess.
You can find your Senator's mailing address here: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
You can find your Congressman's mailing address here: http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml
Or send your used light bulbs to EPA headquarters in Washington:
Environmental Protection Agency
Ariel Rios Building
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20460
Isn't your family's health worth the small postage cost? Don't you want to help save the planet from this environmental nightmare? You'll sleep better at night knowing your deadly mercury-containing light bulbs are with the experts in our nation's capital. Send your light bulbs to Washington!
"Longer lasting" was just the first part of the PR scam.
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I've heard that lighting hours do not always end up being longer...usually however.
Pfft. Regular fluorescent lights also contain mercury, and those have been used in homes and schools for at least thirty years (at least in my old neighborhood). Fluorescent became our top source of artificial light by 1951.
Oh, but we should definitely be worried about putting even more fluorescent lights in our homes now that we know there's mercury in it. To think I've been sitting under them in kitchens, garages, schools, hospitals, and businesses for decades. I'm surprised they haven't already killed me.
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The danger is not having a flourescent light in the room... the danger has to do with breaking a bulb accidentally--any type of fluorescent bulb--or tossing them in the trash instead of recycling.
And I'm guilty! This year we had a 4-footer in our garage waiting to be taken the the dump, and it broke... I had no idea!
Who knew? Everyone knew and Congress passed this stupid law anyway. Although tossing CFLs into the trash will be illegal in 2014, there are probably 50-100 million Americans who dont' care and will toss them into the trash anyway, leading to mercury contamination of all our landfills.
This is what you get from a Congress that doesn't have the common sense that God gave a turnip.
Living in North Dakota where the nearest "retail" store I could recycle them at (Home Depot) I would be required to drive 85 miles just to recycle it. Or I could throw it away and save a tank of gas. Which one does the government want me to choose?
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I totally hear you! I realized some of my own lack of recycling has to do with "organization." As the author of about ten books on getting organized, I decided to practice what I have preached for many years... I now have plastic bag in the back of a cabinet to hold used batteries---and I'll establish a separate bag for CFL light bulbs. Then maybe once a year when it's convenient, I'll drive these things to the place in my county that will take these items...
Batteries are so small you have old ones so rarely, I could never "get it together to do anything but feel guilty" and throw them away... I am a relatively compulsive recycler, so I realized i just needed a collection system so I could recycle these items when it was convenient...
Hope that helps, because I totally understand not wanting to drive 85 miles to toss out a light bulb!
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Thanks for posting. The fact that we were blindsided by the contents of these bulbs is truly unfortunate...
However, in a democracy the "buck stops on our own doorstep." We all bear responsibility for either voting out our Congresspeople or letting them know what is worrying us and working for action. Obama would not be president if it had not been for grassroots organizers.... Sometimes accomplishments take a long time, but we can get things done---start locally, then think nationally.
And mercury is a hot issue... I cannot tell you about the strength of the response.
I'm blindsided, or something, that there's anybody blindsided by this. But you certainly seem like a nice person.
If they are so harmless why is it illegal to throw them in the trash in California?
It's one of two things:
They in fact can cause harm or
Some enviromentalist has overreacted to the stiuaton costing people a lot of money.
While on first glance it does seem ironic that these bulbs which are promoted as being environmentally friendly contain mercury, when you look at the big picture the amount of mercury and the amount of danger posed by each bulb is so slight that unless a person actually ate the bulb it wouldn't be a major concern. Industries are dumping massive amounts of pollutants into our air and water every day, to the point that the piddly little things we do as homeowners probably aren't going to amount to a hill of beans.
Still, we've been using CFLs as long as they've been availabe, and I have to say they last so much longer than regular bulbs that they do make sense economically. The problem I have with them is that - like others - I don't like the quality of the light they produce. It's like being in the all-night truck stop at 3:00 a.m. Still, they have their uses.
I feel I need to do whatever I can to reduce my footprint on the earth. Minimizing energy consumption and recycling are a huge part of the effort, even though I am not at all sure what the end result will be. I do it because it's the right thing to do, not because I expect any kind of payout.
I use CFLS in closets, porch light and the garage due to the lack of quality and aesthetic reasons. I will never change the others.
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One environmental consultant whom I interviewed pointed out that it was better to switch to longer-lasting, more energy-efficient bulbs that help reduce our power consumption than to continue using incandescent bulbs, however, she noted the importance of recycling the bulbs with mercury...a point that is missing in most of the information about these new bulbs.
My hope is that people use the new bulbs and recycle--and keep in mind that the marketplace will soon be selling more energy efficient bulbs that will not have the same level of problem with mercury.
And your point is well made...each bulb contains a very small quantity of mercury, but cumulatively, if we throw thousands of these bulbs in landfill we are not doing the environment any favors.
This column doesn't mention the most important issue.
Almost all mercury pollution comes from coal power plants, which spew the toxic compound into the air. The mercury then falls with rain, where it pollutes soil, water and seafood; this is why tuna is no longer safe to eat.
The best way to reduce mercury contamination is the reduce power consumption. Replacing an incandescent bulb with a CFL stops far more mercury emissions than the tiny amount in the bulb, which can be easily recycled or safely disposed of. No matter what, CFLs cause a drastic net reduction in mercury contamination,
It's irresponsible to omit this fact, which is more significant than any of the things contained in the column. If columns like this cause people to stick with incandescent bulbs, pollution increases.
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Thank you for adding this point. I have written two previous posts about mercury, and in those previous posts, I have highlighted the problem with power plant emissions. You are correct that incandescent bulbs cause us to use more power, but it is distressing that the "green" alternative bulb contains mercury, a neurotoxin. As stated above, it seems that only about 2 percent of the bulbs are being recycled (Maine reports a 5 percent recycling rate) so people who mean well by buying green are inadvertently creating another problem.
I'm with you in terms of wanting power plants to reduce their mercury emissions, but I hope consumers will take away from this post the importance of recycling their CFL bulbs or buy the even greener bulbs that will be on the market in the next few months.
Thanks for posting...we're on the same side on this issue!
excellent column. i cant believe that with all the emphasis on the environment with cfl's, they have this mercury danger. incredible. who regulates this stuff anyway?
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