Apr 23 2008
Compact Fluorescent Lights: A Bright Idea for Pittsburgh?
As home energy costs continue to rise and our environment continues to get more polluted, many Pittsburgh homeowners are looking for ways to cut costs and be part of the solution. With the government move to outlaw our old friend, the incandescent light blub, there has been much talk about one of the alternatives – compact fluorescent lighting (CFL).
Being an environmentally-conscious kind of guy, I bought a bunch of these bulbs a while ago. Soon after, I heard about a woman in Maine who accidently broke one in her home and supposedly paid $2000 to clean up the mess. What was this about?
Turns out, CFLs contain mercury, a very toxic substance. You’ve undoubtedly heard about the concerns of mercury contamination in the some of the food we eat – especially certain kinds of fish. So, it makes sense that bringing this substance into our homes may be a valid cause for concern.
As for the clean-up costs for that breakage - apparently the EPA was called in and told the woman how to deal with the situation. Some folks called the EPA reaction overkill and said it was based on the usual government bureaucratic mindset, which typically costs everyone a lot more than it should.
If you surf the web for this topic you’ll find a range of opinions on this safety issue. Some say that the amount of mercury in these bulbs is far less than what you’d find in a thermometer and is of little concern. Others are a bit more alarmist.
Obviously, each person will have to decide for themselves whether or not to use these bulbs in their homes. I, for one, am skeptical of CFLs. Even if they don’t break in our homes, even if they are as safe as some are claiming, it is still very clear that these products need to be treated as toxic waste and disposed of appropriately - not just tossed in with the day’s trash. The packaging on the product alerts the consumer that this is the case.
How many people will pay attention to this - or just be too lazy (like I am at times) or forget to recycle them?
There are other considerations related to using these bulbs. The best article I have found so far addresses some of these issues. You can read it here. You may find it’s a bit technical in places but very informative – the writer sounds like he knows what he’s talking about. Still, readers should do their due diligence and check for other opinions.
One of the other alternative to CFLs is LED (light-emitting diode) light bulbs. These are safe, last longer, and are more efficient, thus using less energy than CFLs. Unfortunately, the cost for these bulbs is pretty high right now - you can expect to pay $40 + per bulb, depending on the lumens and application. I suspect (or hope) that the price will come down over time. I have not used or seen one of these bulbs in action so I can’t comment on the quality of the light.
By the way, I ended up returning all the CFL bulbs I bought. I had not been aware of or paid attention to the mercury content when I purchased them. The notice on the packaging that the bulbs contained mercury was pretty small.
I don’t know yet what I’ll do when the time comes that we can’t buy the old fashioned incandescents. Maybe by that time I’ll believe that CFLs are okay. Maybe I’ll use oil lamps.
In any case, to paraphrase a saying: when light bulbs are against the law, only outlaws will have light bulbs.
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