warning about energy efficent bulbs
By mrsbrian
@mrsbrian (1949)
United States
May 2, 2007 9:58pm CST
I just watched a news story about those new energy efficent bulbs and was shocked by what I heard.
CFLs are all the rage. They are the spirally shaped, long-lasting bulbs everyone is being urged, cajoled and guilt-tripped into purchasing to replace Thomas Edison's incandescents,last month, A Prospect, Maine, resident went out and bought two dozen CFLs and began installing them in her home. One broke. A month later, her daughter's bedroom remains sealed off with plastic like the site of a hazardous materials accident, while Bridges works on a way to pay off a $2,000 estimate by a company specializing in environmentally sound cleanups of the mercury inside the bulb.
Consider her plight.
When the bulb she was installing in a ceiling fixture of her 7-year-old daughter's bedroom crashed to the floor and broke into the shag carpet, she wasn't sure what to do. Knowing about the danger of mercury.
Aperently these bulbs if broken obmit a large danger of mercury.
Just a warning to all my friends please think twice about useing these bulbs as they do pose a danger to our health and our childrens health.
2 people like this
6 responses
@Chiang_Mai_boy (3882)
• Thailand
3 May 07
This is one more urban legend for the tinfoil hat crowd. The amount of mercury in one bulb represents no real significant hazard. The energy saving they can produce far outweigh any hazard they represent. It is true that a better way to recycle them must be developed.
For further information please see;
http://tinyurl.com/yq8a6l
3 people like this
@badpenny (739)
• Lancaster, Texas
3 May 07
I agree that this must be an urban legend. I have had those bulbs throughout my home for almost two years, and never had to replace one in all that time. Our electric bill was cut by 2/3, an I don't suffer from the severe headaches that my doctor said were caused by eyestrain anymore. If you compare these bulbs to standard bulbs, you will find that they have much thicker glass and are far less prone to breaking as a standard bulb. I have dropped standard bulbs and had them literally explode, causing injuries from tiny shards that festered because it was almost impossible to get all the glass out of my skin. Given the benefits, I feel the new bulbs have benefits that far outweigh any risks.
3 people like this
@legbamel (179)
• United States
4 May 07
Thank you for posting a rebuttal on this. It saved me the time hunting down a good link or making the argument myself! These lights are a major improvement over the incandescents of yesteryear, both in performance and environmental impact. We moved into our house a year ago and started replacing the old bulbs as they burned out. We haven't had one break or quit working yet, and we've put in half a dozen. We figure we'll be all compact flourescent within another year. That's how fast the regular bulbs burn out.
With two fairly small children plus dogs and cats, changing a lightbulb can be scary. Standard bulbs do explode if you drop them while changing a ceiling fixture. I'm not saying the the CF ones don't break, but their shape alone means that they are less dangerous when dropped. And their contents do *not* pose a health hazard, unless you drop a case of them and your family is licking the floor clean.
@foxyfire33 (10005)
• United States
3 May 07
Well thanks for the warning. I'll be checking into it more to see if it is real or one of those horrible hoaxes people spread to scare people (and I don't mean you). My parents just installed these bulbs through out most of their house. I don't think any have broken but I know they are disappointed with their performance. Within a month two had quit working.
At the my kids other grandparents house they have a few of them. My son knocked over a lamp (he was only 16 months old) and broke one of the bulbs. Nothing bad has happened in their house but it's still worth looking into since the kids are there a lot.
2 people like this
@mrsbrian (1949)
• United States
3 May 07
Mercury poisoning is not always something to be seen right away. but yes please do check it out I have checked several web sites and they all say pretty much the same thing. Im just not sure I want to take a chance with my children since we have taken such precautions of mercury poisioning in the past years.
2 people like this
@nishdan01 (3050)
• Singapore
3 May 07
Thanks for informing on it.Adding more:
As always of an investigative mind, I decided to search further into this problem pertaining to these lights having found that the entire matter involved the "radio light spectrum" and other light frequencies which are invisible to the human eye whilst, however, radiating high levels of "radio active" energy containing the frequencies of x-ray, gamma and cosmic rays. There is no solution, even with total lead shielding of the starter unit, transformer capacitor sections and the tube cathode areas as it leaves the illuminating area of the tube itself free to radiate all manner of radio frequency and mercury vapour energies. The only way out is to outlaw them completely."
"Too many people, including doctors and general hospital staff, are spending far too much time indoors (an unfortunate occupational hazard as also found within other professions and trades) subjecting themselves to this continuous bombardment of colourless radioactive radiation from fluorescent lights, the worst of which are the soft white economical plug-in bulbs. These bulbs, although physically small, are nevertheless hazardous."
Ref:http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/chris/2005/12/06/sunlight_lighting_and_your_health_dangers_of_fluorescent_lighting.htm
2 people like this
@webeishere (36313)
• United States
3 May 07
Dang. I just bought a 6 pack of these recently too. I'll have to read the package. I hadn't planned on buying anymore as I hate the type of glow given off from them. It seems to make it harder for me to read with those bulbs. Thanks again for this warning. Going to check the package out soon.
HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB !!
@sick4muzick (816)
• Philippines
3 May 07
HI mrsbrian. Oh dear we love using those kinds of bulbs. Good thing we do take care installing it. One never knows nowadays what's in a certain product. Better to treat everything as hazardous to health, that way we can avoid unnecessary accidents. Thanks for this informative post. I will have to look more into this. Have a great day :)
