{"id":3619,"date":"2011-01-10T08:40:08","date_gmt":"2011-01-10T13:40:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.energyrefuge.com\/blog\/?p=3619"},"modified":"2017-09-05T17:50:56","modified_gmt":"2017-09-05T21:50:56","slug":"cfls-and-led-lights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.energyrefuge.com\/blog\/cfls-and-led-lights\/","title":{"rendered":"CFLs and LED lights"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Via Jetson Green<\/figcaption><\/figure>The other day we wrote about EPA\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s new guideline on how to dispose of Compact Fluorecent Lights properly<\/a>. And a debate followed.<\/p>\n

One commenter chipped in to highlight the mercury content of CFL lights. He said:<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Like all mercury-containing fluorescent lights, CFLs should be properly stored, transported and recycled to prevent these fragile bulbs from breaking and emitting hazardous mercury vapor. They cannot be thrown away in the trash, but should be taken to a recycling center or disposed of by using a proven recycling box. However, taking them to a recycling center may not always be the most efficient solution. Consumers can use a recycling box to ship bulbs instead. If consumers choose this option, it is important to select a packaging configuration<\/a> that effectively contains mercury vapor.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d <\/p>\n

Someone else pointed out that LED lights<\/a> are best, since they contain no mercury. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153LEDs have no mercury, great cost savings on electricity, nice bright light\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, the commenter said.<\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s true that LED lights are even better than CFLs as they can last 25 years or even longer and demand is growing, according to a report on the Vancouver Sun<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But CFLs<\/a> are also very good options, despite the mercury issue, which can be easily circumvented with proper disposal. A commenter at a related post on another blog<\/a> said Berkeley researchers found that the amount of mercury on CFLs is so negligible that is equals to eating a single nibble of Albacore tuna, or 1\/50th of an ounce.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153If you ate a whole six ounce serving of Albacore tuna you would take in about 48 micrograms of mercury, 700 times the exposure from a typical CFL breakage scenario<\/a>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, he said, adding: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Even the worst case CFL breakage scenario\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwhere people are careless about the cleanup and, say, throw the broken glass in an open trash can next to the TV before sitting down to a night of viewing\u00e2\u20ac\u201donly equaled the approximate exposure from a single meal of fish.”<\/p>\n

CFLs only use 25 per cent of conventional, incandescent lights, which are likely to disappear from store shelves soon. They cost more, but last eight times longer so they represent savings over their life cycle.<\/p>\n

Conclusion: the mercury issue should not be a deterrent to CFL adoption.<\/p>\n

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