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Mr. Johnson, I don't often agree with you but, in this case, you are right on the money.

I heard the same thing about the new bulbs, unfortunately I can't remember exactly where I heard it.
In the same discussion it was also mentioned that the new fluorescent bulbs are a fire hazard. Electrical home fires have been started when the new bulbs are used with older electrical systems.
Since I have an older home, will I have to rewire my entire electrical system that has served me well for many years?
Yup, this was a great idea....
:-)

I wonder if Mr. Bush in his careful and overwhelming wonderful thinking of the enviornment and people gave any thought at all about the poisons that are known to man today and the results of there being ingested !!. Could it be that he or family members already have stock or recently bought stock in the mercury related industry?? The old style bulbs at least could be dealt with to dispose of easier and they do give better light. As for these new bulbs just ask families who had to deal with mercury and beryllium poisoning that Sylvania workers contracted in the making of flouresent bulbs years ago. Maybe its just another strike it rich by the republicans at the expense of the little guy again but then maybe not !!

OK folks....settle down...this is, as usual, much ado about nothing. Now Ken, I've mentioned on more than one occasion that you should avoid environmental issues because...well...you're usually wrong. and now you've just proved my point (again).

Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs are being mandated in an effort to reduce energy consumption and in doing so combat both pollution and global warming. CFLs use a fraction of the electricity that conventional incandescent bulbs do and last 3 to 5 times longer. While they may cost more "up front" CLFs are getting less expensive and more efficient, making the cost savings over their life cycle even greater.

CFL bulbs do contain mercury, 4 or 5 micrograms in most cases. The newest "mini" CFLs contain even less while being more efficient. Clearly CFL technology is getting better all the time. Now a little math is in order...on average, 1 kilowatt-hour generated in the US produces .012 milligrams of mercury, a conventional 75 watt incandescent bulb running for 10,000 hours (about 2 to 3 times its life expectancy) would generate 9 milligrams of mercury emissions, a comparable CFL bulb (that would last much longer than 10,000 hours) will produce 2.4 milligrams. Clearly a big difference. These are average numbers of course. In some parts of the country Coal is a common source of electricity and in some its natural gas. Some CFLs are more or less efficient or use more electricity. Nationwide, the EPA estimates that every CFL will, over its 5 year life expectancy, keep about 4 milligrams or mercury out of the environment. That's a huge reduction in mercury pollution alone. Keep in mind that other pollution, SOX, NOX, particulates, arsenic, dioxin are being reduced as well as freeing up energy for other uses and growth in consumption. Most importantly, less energy consumption reduces CO2 emissions and helps combat global warming.

As for the immediate health risk posed by a broken CFL, lets look at more facts. I think its worth noting that I've had CFL bulbs in my home for 10 years, I've used then exclusively for at least 5 with the exception of appliances and have NEVER broken one. I have several types in use including old fashioned T-120 workshop bulbs (the long tubes). As noted above, the most commonly used CFLs contain about 5 micrograms or mercury. If a bulb is broken, about 40% of the mercury will vaporize over a 1 week period, about 30% of that during the first 8 hours, the rest will remain attached to the inner surface of the bulb. Keep mind that an average CFL contains 1/1000 of the mercury that a mercury thermometer contains. The amount of mercury that one would likely inhale if they were in a room when a CFL is broken is extremely small. You would place your self at greater risk if you ate a can of tuna. That being said, you should take prudent precautions if you break a CFL and of course when your bulb reaches the end of its life cycle, recycle it to keep the small amount of mercury out of the environment.

As with many things, the benefits, both economical and environmental, far outweigh any potential (and in my opinion, overstated) risk. CFLs are great and perfectly safe. The need to reduce energy consumption, pollution and greenhouse gas emissions make a switch to technologies like CFLs a necessity, not a choice.

bilge rat

I've heard those same fire hazard complaints and did some checking. CFLs are perfectly safe. Keep in mind that CFLs draw less current than conventional lamps and should be fairly kind to old wiring. |Some people complain about melted or blackened bases. The quote below is from the National Geographic "green guide" and its easier to just paste it in:

'If you look at the plastic base, or ballast, of the light bulb, you should see a symbol indicating that the ballast is UL certified, which means that the plastic on the exterior can safely function during bulb operation and at the end of the bulb's life. The fact that the plastic on your bulb's ballast melted and turned black is totally normal, says John Drengenberg, consumer affairs manager at Underwriters Laboratory (UL), the company that evaluates plastics for, among other things, flammability characteristics. A CFL generates light from an electric current that runs through glass tubing filled with gases. The electrified gases emit ultraviolet radiation, which then comes in contact with a phosphorous lining on the glass, thus creating light. Bulbs burn out when the ballast overheats and an electronic component, the Voltage Dependent Resister (VDR), opens up like a fuse in your home's fuse box, shutting off the circuit and generating heat and possibly a small amount of smoke. This might sound dangerous, but the VDR is a cut-off switch that prevents any hazards. The melted plastic you're seeing where the glass coil connects to the ballast is simply a sign that the heat is escaping as intended in the design of the bulb. "

My house on Spruce St was built in 1912 and we still have some older wiring in it. My bulbs work fine but as you know, all wiring eventually has to be replaced.