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The inconvenient truth about energy saving bulbs
The South Texan |
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Most people feel rather comfortable replacing a regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL). It is one of the top things you can do to save the environment, according to Al Gore’s web site. Even the EPA is behind the push to replace the old standard bulbs because of the great amount of energy saved.
Many countries are working to completely replace the old bulbs completely. Certain state legislatiors are pushing to place a dead line on the elimination of the old standard bulbs. Less energy used is better for the environment.
What’s the problem then? The new CFL’s contain mercury. Though the government and the makers of the bulbs insist the levels are low. There are cases where homeowners have had contaminated areas after a bulb breaks, requiring thousands of dollars in environmental cleanup.
A very small percent of the general public know the hazards associated with the bulbs. Al Gore is asking every family in America to replace their old energy miser bulbs with CFL’s but there is nothing on his web site about proper disposal either.
The packaging is not clearly marked as containing a potent neurotoxin. Disposal, clean up and handling instructions are not very clear. Who really reads the instructions on a light bulb package? How many just simply throw away a bulb that has burned out?
A tossed away CFL-bulb can break in the trash exposing the mercury to the person who threw it away and the person disposing of the garbage. Then it is taken to the landfill exposing, the soil, the ground water, and the wildlife.
All this certainly can not happen with one but if just a few hundred people a day disposed improperly of the CFL bulbs, the potential most defiantly exists for disaster.
The vacuumed or swept up bulb that has broken stirs up mercury laden dust. Many try to us them in recessed or track lighting and they are not made for dimmer switches.
The energy saving bulbs, in fact, further hurt the environment. The idea is a great one but mercury free bulbs are 5 to 10 years away. That is a great deal of pollution in the landfills. That is a great deal of broken light bulbs in various peoples’ homes.
To properly dispose of the bulbs they must be contained until they can be recycled or they can be driven to the hazardous waste site. This idea defeats the idea of saving green house gases by all the emissions expelled by driving it in to the site.
Our government should be trying to let people know about the hazards connected to this product. If they are going to push for everyone to us these they need to do more to protect us and our environment.
People should call there local governments to do more to education the public about the potential danger.
Call your local recycling center to see what steps they prefer for disposal. The EPA also has tips for safe handling instructions at www.epa.gov. This site contains directions of what to do if a CFL breaks in the home.
The CFL bulbs have the potential to benefit the environment but they also have the same potential to damage it as well. We have to urge government to take responsibility and properly educate the population. They also need to speed up the programs for proper disposal in all areas of the country.