Take Care With Compact Fluorescent Lamps
October 12th 2008 05:07
Most modern CFLs contain less than 5 milligrams of mercury, an amount approximately equivalent to the tip of a ball point pen. To further put this into perspective, it takes between 100 and 600 CFLs to make up the mercury in a common household thermometer. An average watch battery contains up to 25 milligrams of mercury.
It is important to note that using CFLs actually reduces the amount of mercury being released into the atmosphere. They do this by decreasing electricity consumption and, therefore, electricity production (coal fired power stations emit mercury). Using CFLs is far better for the environment than using standard incandescent lamps.
The small amount of mercury sealed in a CFL does not pose a hazard to users. However, mercury is a toxic metal and every product containing mercury should be handled with care. It is important to dispose of used CFLs properly and clean up any broken CFL safely.
Recycling is the best way to dispose of used CFLs. While businesses, hospitals and schools often pay a recycling company to collect spent CFLs and fluorescent tubes, many communities now have hazardous waste collection schemes to enable residents to deposit batteries, paint, motor oil, CFLs and so on. For recycling, check with your local council or government for advice.
If no recycler is able to take your CFLs, the Lighting Council suggests storing them in a safe place until a recycling programme is implemented in your area. Good quality CFLs lasts for around 6,000 hours, which translate to approximately three years of five and half-hours-a-day usage.
As a last resort, burnt-out CFLs could be placed inside a plastic bag, firmly sealed, and then put into your household rubbish.
If a CFL breaks, you should open nearby windows and doors to ventilate the room. Carefully sweep up the pieces, and then use a paper towel to wipe up any remaining glass fragments. Do not use your hands, instead wear disposable plastic gloves. Do not use a vacuum cleaner, which can trap or spread the mercury in the house. Seal the pieces, plastic gloves and paper towel in a plastic bag for safe disposal.
Using energy-saving CFLs actually reduces the amount of mercury released into the atmosphere, where it most affects our health. How?
• Most mercury in the air comes from burning fossil fuels to generate electricity.
• CFLs use 80 per cent less energy than a standard incandescent bulb, reducing the need for electricity production.
• CFLs thus help to reduce mercury emissions, as well as carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions.
Lighting Council Australia members are now working to develop LED (light-emitting diode) technology as a practical CFL alternative. LEDs, which have been used in electronics for decades, convert 90 per cent of the incoming electrical charge into a luminous energy and use only one-eighth of the power of traditional bulbs and less than half that for CFLs. They also last a very long time - up to 50,000 hours. Until then, take care when dealing with CFLs.
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