Is Anyone Else Leery of CFL Bulbs?

**Jskell911** · 05-10-2008, 08:32 PM

They save $$. I get that, but the mercury in them scares me. We bought a lamp that came with the bulb and it was broken. That meant we were ingesting it. You can't dispose of them in the trash, so what do I do with it when it blows out, like one did tonight. It's sitting on a shelf and I just don't know how to get rid of it.

The mercury is a touchy subject here as I do have an autistic son. Now I am not convinced that mercury poisoning contributes to autism like some are adamant about, but geez I wouldn't want to expose DS to it.

I don't know, I'm just not convinced that the $$ is worth health concerns here. I know so very many are all about carbon footprint and whatnot, but again I am not a zealot there either.

**Jamauk** · 05-10-2008, 08:36 PM

That's why we don't use them. We bought a pack and put them in a few of our fixtures and then heard about the mercury so we stopped using them. I made DH take them out of the kids room and the living room where they play all day. I think we have one in our bedroom fixture and that's it - maybe one outside? I don't remember.

I'm not willing to take that risk to save a few bucks....that's jmho, though.

**mombottoo** · 05-11-2008, 10:43 AM

I have 95% of our bulbs switched over to CFL and I have noticed quite the savings off of my electric bill. I have a container I put blown bulbs in and when it is full I will find a way to recycle them.

I am not too concerned about the mercury...cripe when I was a kid they put mercury in thermometers and when they broke we would put the mercury in a box or lid and play with the stuff. Anybody besides me remember nailing a ball of mercury with your finger to make it split & then rolling it around to make it come back together???

I personally think the benefits far out way the risks when it comes to CFLs, you stand a better chance of slipping in your tub & injuring yourself than you do getting poisoned by a broken CFL bulb. JMHO

**Frugal Nurse** · 05-11-2008, 10:56 AM

Originally Posted by mombottoo

I am not too concerned about the mercury...cripe when I was a kid they put mercury in thermometers and when they broke we would put the mercury in a box or lid and play with the stuff. Anybody besides me remember nailing a ball of mercury with your finger to make it split & then rolling it around to make it come back together???
JMHO

ROFL!!!
Yep!! wasn't that cool!!!
And I have a quarter mouth full of amalgam too! LOL!
That just might explain my craziness ... eh?

The mercury in the bulb- isn't the problem. It's disposing of the mercury in land fields that leach to water... that poisons.

So, having a CFL bulb in your room isn't emitting mercury- (like the lead window blinds made cheap cheap in foreign countries emits lead dust).

If it breaks- it needs to be disposed of at your town hazardous waste collection- just the same as your old mercury themometers were collected. It is disposable- it just needs to be done correctly- and NOT in the landfill.

What I am dissapointed about is this....
they advertise that the bulbs lasts X number of years (longer) than the 'other' bulbs. But... I've found this not to be true at all! They burn out faster.
I have 4 bulbs burn out in the last year. that's 4 more than I would have had to replace on a regular bulb. I'm not counting the 2 bulbs that smashed to smitherines when the cat knocked the lamp over. The smashing wouldn't have happened with the 'other' bulb- because the shade would fit properly... right now the shade is teetering on curly cues.

**many houseapes** · 05-11-2008, 02:56 PM

The health of my family means much more to me than saving a few pennies. We have tried the mercury laden ones( before we learned about the dangers of using them) & they really do not last as long as they say they do. & I really don't understand why they are pushing the issue to use this type of bulb if its going to do more harm than good. If the gov. decides to go through w/ banning Mr.Edison,then we will resort to other means to light our house at night.....when our stockpile of lightbulbs has been depleted.

**janelane** · 05-11-2008, 03:46 PM

I worry about how many of these will end up in the landfills. You know I didn't even realize you weren't supposed to be chucking batteries into the trash until a few years ago. And I know for sure my mom just threw broken thermometers into the trash when I was a kid (and yes, I played in the mercury, too.) I just wonder how many people will even realize you can't just throw them away -- or who will just be too lazy to care.

We have a bin now in the workshop for batteries and bulbs. One day we'll get out to properly dispose of them, I hope.

I was a little upset because I had a CFL go on me a few nights ago. It's been there less than a year, and we don't even use that switch much. Hopefully the technology will get a little bit better in the near future.

**Jamauk** · 05-11-2008, 03:50 PM

Originally Posted by janelane

I worry about how many of these will end up in the landfills.

Exactly - there isn't a doubt in my mind that if the gov't requires us to use these (as in Canada) MORE than enough will end up in the landfill to create a water polution problem. I think the risks and dangers far outweigh the benefits from these things.

**Persimmon Lace** · 05-11-2008, 04:33 PM

We don't use them simply because they hurt our eyes. And you guys are right they don't last any longer than regular bulbs. I've started by contractor bulk bulbs now.

**acidcookie** · 05-11-2008, 06:42 PM

Originally Posted by mombottoo

I personally think the benefits far out way the risks when it comes to CFLs, you stand a better chance of slipping in your tub & injuring yourself than you do getting poisoned by a broken CFL bulb. JMHO

Agreed.

Yes, mercury in a landfill is a problem. For those concerned, there are a number of outlets for properly disposing of/recycling the bulbs:

http://lighterfootstep.com/5-ways-to-recycle-a-cfl.html
http://www.epa.gov/bulbrecycling/
http://www.thedailygreen.com/going-g...le-cfls-460128

**Dancing Lotus** · 05-11-2008, 08:15 PM

Thats odd , I have some that are several yrs old and I have never had one burn out?I have one that is at least 4 or 5 yrs old. As far as the mercury their is not more danger in them then there is in your old thermostat or thermometer for that matter.

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/cfl.asp

**mombottoo** · 05-11-2008, 08:19 PM

Originally Posted by acidcookie

Agreed.

Yes, mercury in a landfill is a problem. For those concerned, there are a number of outlets for properly disposing of/recycling the bulbs:

http://lighterfootstep.com/5-ways-to-recycle-a-cfl.html
http://www.epa.gov/bulbrecycling/
http://www.thedailygreen.com/going-g...le-cfls-460128

Thank you for these links! Recycling is a very important part of our lives. I've been doing a variety of recycling all along and now having an avenue to properly dispose of CFLs should the need arise will be invaluable. I also know that many stores have recycling available for batteries....our local Radio Shack is a dropoff location.

**Jamauk** · 05-11-2008, 09:17 PM

Originally Posted by AnnK

As far as the mercury their is not more danger in them then there is in your old thermostat or thermometer for that matter.

So then why is it that those old thermometers have been banned in nearly all 50 states (without a prescription), but the gov't is pushing these lightbulbs down our throats?

**Jamauk** · 05-11-2008, 09:20 PM

Originally Posted by acidcookie

Yes, mercury in a landfill is a problem. For those concerned, there are a number of outlets for properly disposing of/recycling the bulbs:

http://lighterfootstep.com/5-ways-to-recycle-a-cfl.html
http://www.epa.gov/bulbrecycling/
http://www.thedailygreen.com/going-g...le-cfls-460128

Yes, there are plenty of ways to properly dispose of them. But my question is - if these lightbulbs become mandatory - How many people are actually going to dispose of them the way they are supposed to?

**PB&J** · 05-11-2008, 09:40 PM

Originally Posted by AnnK

Thats odd , I have some that are several yrs old and I have never had one burn out?I have one that is at least 4 or 5 yrs old. As far as the mercury their is not more danger in them then there is in your old thermostat or thermometer for that matter.

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/cfl.asp

I've never had one burn out, either. I have had most of ours for 3+ years and none of them have burned out.

I think the benefit in energy savings far outweighs the risk of mercury. Each CFL over the course of its life saves 450 pounds of carbon from being produced. I read that if one person replaced all the bulbs in their house with CFLs, it would be the equivalent emission savings of taking 2 cars off the street for an entire year.

I also read this:

CFLs do contain 5 milligrams of mercury according to the EPA. The mercury is used to make the CFLs more energy efficient, but can be harmful if released into the environment. CFLs actually reduce mercury because mercury is a byproduct of power generation. Since less power is needed for CFLs the total mercury is less then if an old incandescent light bulb was used.

**brainyblonde** · 05-11-2008, 11:30 PM

I have also been using these bulbs for a few years now, and haven't had one burn out. I also use one in my covered porch light that stays on all night. I am really not concerned about the limited exposure to mercury. After all, I grew up using mercurochrome on cuts and scrapes with no ill effects.