New Fluorescent Bulbs Not so Environmentally Friendly, After All
Posted on March 21, 2008
We, like millions of other consumers, decided to heed the call and buy the new fluorescent lightbulbs that last longer and are supposedly environmentally friendly. But NBC News reports that shocking new facts have emerged about the bulbs. They are full of mercury. And if you break one, it's so toxic that you have to turn off your A/C or heating, open a window and leave the room for hours afterward. No, really. And you have practically have to wear a hazmat suit to dispose of the darn things. Then, all that mercury from the old lightbulbs is going to end up in our groundwater, then in us. That's really, really bad.
The article says CFLs contain mercury, which has been linked to kidney and brain damage. Each bulb contains 5 milligrams of mercury which is small but NBC News says is still enough to contaminate according to experts from Stanford University. The bulbs will eventually end up in landfills and once there they could break and leak mercury into the ground.
We think this whole lightbulb thing needs to be re-thought out before the federal ban on old lightbulbs kicks in in 2009. Facts, people. We need facts. And scientifically valid, green solutions. If you break one of these toxic bulbs, do follow the lengthy cleanup procedures recommended by the EPA here. And be sure not to let your children or pets anywhere near them.
Or, you could just switch back to the old kind until they remove the mercury from our lightbulbs. Also, here is a CFL cleanup video from CNET.