Ten days left to buy traditional lightbulbs: EU

[Roon]

Traditional lightbulbs will disappear from our shops in just ten days.
All conventional pearl, incandescent lightbulbs are being banned by the European Union to slash energy bills and carbon dioxide emissions.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1208228/Ten-days-left-buy-frosted-lightbulbs-EU-ban-means-low-energy-ones-sale.html

Don't you have to call a HAZ-MAZ crew when one of these new bulbs break?

[ejpoeta]

1. don't think that would make much sense here... i have compact fluorescent bulbs in every light

socket I can. but there are several places I can't put them... unless i don't put the covers on i guess. and the dining room has the dimmer lights... and covers... so that won't work either.

[NYC_SKP]

2. HAZ-MAZ? ;-) No, don't need a HAZ-MAT Team to clean up after a CFL. In fact....

You just need to clean it up as carefully as you can, wear gloves and dust mask.

Your exposure to Mercury if you clean up carefully is the equivalent to eating a tablespoon of canned Tuna.

If you clean up poorly, without gloves and mask, your exposure is the equivalent to eating a can of Tuna.

Do not use a vacuum cleaner.

http://www.epa.gov/mercury/spills/index.htm#fluorescent

NB: CFL's not only use less power, they REDUCE the amount of Mercury in the environment. (see last section below)

More from EnergyStar:

Frequently Asked Questions

Information on Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs) and Mercury
July 2008

Why should people use CFLs?
Switching from traditional light bulbs (called incandescent) to CFLs is an effective, simple change everyone in
America can make right now. Making this change will help to use less electricity at home and prevent greenhouse
gas emissions that lead to global climate change. Lighting accounts for close to 20 percent of the average home’s
electric bill. ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs use up to 75 percent less energy (electricity) than incandescent light
bulbs, last up to 10 times longer, cost little up front, and provide a quick return on investment.

If every home in America replaced just one incandescent light bulb with an ENERGY STAR qualified CFL, in one
year it would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes. That would prevent the release of
greenhouse gas emissions equal to that of about 800,000 cars.

Do CFLs contain mercury?
CFLs contain a very small amount of mercury sealed within the glass tubing – an average of 4 milligrams. By
comparison, older thermometers contain about 500 milligrams of mercury – an amount equal to the mercury in
125 CFLs. Mercury is an essential part of CFLs; it allows the bulb to be an efficient light source. No mercury is
released when the bulbs are intact (not broken) or in use.

Most makers of light bulbs have reduced mercury in their fluorescent lighting products. Thanks to technology
advances and a commitment from members of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, the average
mercury content in CFLs has dropped at least 20 percent in the past year. Some manufacturers have even made
further reductions, dropping mercury content to 1.4 – 2.5 milligrams per light bulb.

What are mercury emissions caused by humans?
EPA estimates the U.S. is responsible for the release of 104 metric tons of mercury emissions each year. Most of
these emissions come from coal-fired electrical power. Mercury released into the air is the main way that mercury
gets into water and bio-accumulates in fish. (Eating fish contaminated with mercury is the main way for humans to
be exposed.)

Most mercury vapor inside fluorescent light bulbs becomes bound to the inside of the light bulb as it is used. EPA
estimates that the rest of the mercury within a CFL – about 14 percent – is released into air or water when it is
sent to a landfill, assuming the light bulb is broken. Therefore, if all 290 million CFLs sold in 2007 were sent to a
landfill (versus recycled, as a worst case) – they would add 0.16 metric tons, or 0.16 percent, to U.S. mercury
emissions caused by humans.

How do CFLs result in less mercury in the environment compared to traditional light
bulbs?
Electricity use is the main source of mercury emissions in the U.S. CFLs use less electricity than incandescent
lights, meaning CFLs reduce the amount of mercury into the environment. As shown in the table below, a 13-watt,
8,000-rated-hour-life CFL (60-watt equivalent; a common light bulb type) will save 376 kWh over its lifetime, thus
avoiding 4.5 mg of mercury. If the bulb goes to a landfill, overall emissions savings would drop a little, to 4.0 mg.
EPA recommends that CFLs are recycled where possible, to maximize mercury savings.

[MercutioATC]

20. Or, you could do what any normal person would do and just clean it up as you would any broken glass.

I'm 41.

As a kid, I pushed globs of mercury around with my fingers in science class.


I doubt that a broken CF bulb is going to kill me.

[NYC_SKP]

28. I still have some liquid mercury. It's an absolutely fascinating substance!

I posted all those details for those who are misinformed or unreasonably frightened by our friend, the CFL.

I'm excited by the very latest LED lights, CFLs may be extinct before long.

Some of the brightest LEDs are LED arrays like this:



My friend works for a Silicon Valley company, BridgLux, that makes these.

~~~~~~~~

[boppers]

3. It's a flourescent with a ballast.

Proper disposal is preferred, but they're not horribly dangerous (of course, everything is relative).

Get this: the instructions for dealing with the residue are very specific about what to do in the house (don't broom or vacuum it up)... and then they recommend throwing it into the regular trash stream.

http://www.epa.gov/mercury/spills/#fluorescent

[gleaner]

4. No. They aren't hazardous ...

I use them all through the house. They last a long, long time and can produce a very bright light without much cost. They burn out gradually and when they go, you just remove them and put them in a bag with the rest of your non recyclables and let the city take them with your other trash.

They come in all different sizes and shapes now, so I have them in ceiling fixtures. Go to Lowe's on the internet and check them out. I buy mine over the internet and they arrive intact even after UPS throws them over the fence, so they are not particularly fragile anymore. You can check with your power company too, they sell them at a discount because they are trying to cut energy usage.

[FLDCVADem]

6. I had a few but I got rid of them

The light was awful (flickering), plus we have lots of dimmer switches and the CFCs are useless there. Unless they come up with a much better product, I'll be hoarding incandescents in a couple of years.

[gleaner]

18. Ok ..

I don't have dimmer switches and I know they don't recommend use of fluorescents with dimmer switches. Mine work just fine for me, and the electricity is so expensive here I didn't feel I had a choice. Now I am watching my garden die because they have raise the price of water to the point where you literally cannot afford to use more that a small allotment. There are dead lawns all up and down my street. Bummer.

[wuushew]

19. they make dimmable CFL

they are quite widely availble.

[FLDCVADem]

35. I've not found any for use in my kitchen

that are dimmable. I need the 120 watt equivalent that will dim, and I've not found them anywhere.

Plus, as I said, the light from them sucks, IMO. When real improvements are made, we'll see, but until then, I'm not switching.

[Spider Jerusalem]

5. The EU is ahead of the US here; US legislated phase-out of incandescents doesn't start until 2014

and the net benefit in reduced energy consumption as a result of eliminating incandescent bulbs outweighs the (very small) risks associated with the miniscule amounts of mercury they contain.

The Daily Mail is a horrid right-wing rag (known as the 'Daily Heil' for their favourable view of Hitler right up until 1939) that specialises in highly indignant articles regarding anything to do with the EU, immigrants, Muslims, etc. The Mail's editorial position is extremely Eurosceptic and the only reason they're running this article is to bleat about the 'faceless Eurocrats in Brussels stuffing low-energy bulbs down the throats of Britons whether we want them or not'.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

7. it will be soon that i will not be able to escape flourescent lights

and the headaches that come from the flicker. until they figure out how to remove that flicker i will continue to despise them. they have improved the light quality...but the flicker...shit!

sP

[FLDCVADem]

8. I agree

I think they suck.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

10. love the idea...

but wish there was a better way of executing it. saving energy is a great thing...making me live in the dark is another.

i also wonder how they will handle clear bulbs used in certain fixtures for decorative purposes...

sP

[Spider Jerusalem]

9. Sorry, that's a load of bollocks.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=flickering-fallacy-cfl-bulb-headaches

[ProdigalJunkMail]

11. when you live my life you can call my experience bollocks...

go call someone else a liar...

sP

onEdit...it may not be flicker...i could be spectrum...but i very much get headaches in the office (exclusively tube and cfl bulbs) but do not suffer from them where those bulbs are not in use...

[FLDCVADem]

12. I was just about to type basically the same thing

Funny how someone else knows what you feel, huh?

[Spider Jerusalem]

13. I can call your experience bollocks anyway.

Because the 'flicker' is at a rate far too high to be detected. I have extreme sensory sensitivities due to Asperger Syndrome; I don't get headaches from compact fluorescent bulbs nor do I observe any flicker in them (larger fluorescent bulbs can be a different story, but if compact fluorescents did induce headaches I'd have had one by now).

[ProdigalJunkMail]

14. i guess the Aspergers is your excuse for being a rude prick...

[Spider Jerusalem]

15. No, it's not an excuse for anything.

Merely a statement of fact. I have Asperger Syndrome, which frequently has associated sensory sensitivities. I have no sensory sensitivity issues regarding compact fluorescent bulbs; factually any 'flicker' they produce is invisible to the human eye and undetectable by the human brain. Therefore I can reasonably conclude, on the basis of a) personal experience and b)simple scientific fact that any claim you have of getting headaches from compact fluorescents is utter nonsense.

[FLDCVADem]

16. And we can conclude from your

comments that you're a rude prick. :)

[Spider Jerusalem]

17. You can go fuck yourself with a rusty spike.

[MercutioATC]

21. Oh, how I hope that post doesn't get deleted!

Rarely do we get to see "fuck yourself with a rusty spike" here at DU.

:toast:

[Odin2005]

24. Forgive him, not getting other people's POV is a common failing of us Aspies.

:)

[MercutioATC]

25. I was actually being serious.

For a place with virtually no restrictions on language, DU can get a little heavy-handed with the babysitting at times.

"Go fuck yourself with a rusty spike" is a classic :)

[FLDCVADem]

36. I agree!

And one that I'm going to file away for use some day!

[Odin2005]

23. Just because you and I have no problems with CFBs doesn't mean other Aspies do not.

[Hosnon]

31. Did you even read the article you sourced?

"But Magda Havas, an Environmental & Resource Studies Ph.D. at Canada’s Trent University, says that some CFLs emit radio frequency radiation that can cause fatigue, dizziness, ringing in the ears, eyestrain, even migraines."

[Odin2005]

22. This sucks. Many autistics have extreme sensory issues with florescent lights.

I am one of the lucky autistics that don't have that issue and so I can and do use florescent bulbs), but many autistics can be driven crazy by the flickering of a florescent light that other people don't perceive. This is discriminatory.

[Motown_Johnny]

26. they have LCD light bulbs now.. but the cost is way to high for most of us

since you are in europe maybe your health care would cover special light bulbs for people who can't be near the compact florescent bulbs.

The good news is that the LCD bulbs pretty much last forever, so long as you do not break them

[Odin2005]

27. I'm not in Europe. Sorry if you were mislead by my post.

I was just concerned about autistic people in Europe.

[NYC_SKP]

29. You mean LEDs, no?

Like these very bright LED arrays?

[Motown_Johnny]

32. Yes, I am a moron.. LED not LCD

http://www.ledlight.com/globe-led-light-bulb.aspx

[Warren Stupidity]

30. They will have to pry my dead fingers out of the socket before

I give up my incandescent bulb!

[DU GrovelBot]

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[Curtland1015]

34. Damn you Grovelbot! I'm sick of you trying to change the subject!!!

Covering up for your beloved lightbulb pals, eh?

How much did big bulb pay you!?

How long have you been in their pocket!?!?!?