Tom Ismond <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Tom wrote: 1) Don't fluorescent lights contain highly toxic chemicals required to make them fluoresce ?
Ken writes: You are correct compact fluorescent light bulbs need to be disposed of differently then your standard light bulbs, and they are surely not benign. But anything we dispose of in landfills, garbage burners, generally can have a negative impact, including standard light bulbs. Also other efficient lighting technology is also available such as light-emitting diode (LED), it is just important for business and individuals to educate themselves about the products available. The United States Department of Energy says lighting is the biggest energy expense for retailers, accounting for 37 percent of total energy use in U.S. retail buildings. This energy problem could be eased with new types of efficient lighting now taking off. The potential benefits, including better efficiency and longer life (up to 50,000 hours, or 40 times longer than conventional incandescent lamps), have catalyzed global research efforts in LED and solid-state lighting technology. Colored LEDs, in particular, have become popular as an architectural and display lighting option because they offer flexibility to designers and consume half the energy of traditional incandescent sources with color filters. Compact fluorescent last longer, usually 6 to 7years. You probable will dispose of 6 or 7 standard light bulbs in that same period. I would not use compact fluorescent for lighting fixtures that do not have heavy usage. Tom: What about the light manufacturing process, is it environmentally friendly ? Also, I know these lights contain a ballast inside, ie probably some type of semiconductor based driver. What happens when we start throwing away hundreds of millions of spent bulbs away in landfills ? It is known that many semiconductors contain highly toxic materials. One last thing, fluorescent lights don't burn continuously, they "flicker" on and off at such a high rate that humans can't perceive it. I have seen reports that this can drive captive birds crazy, and maybe dogs too. Has anyone studied these effects on humans ? Tom ballast are used in overhead lighting and as well should not be thrown into a landfill. The county has disposal sites for ballast. None of my lighting fixtures that have compact fluorescent lighting use ballast, they are just standard overhead lighting fixtures. These are two very good questions and the rule of thumb should be to dispose of these light bulbs in the proper way, contact the county to find out your nearest location. Ken Bradley Kenny Neighborhood Tom Ismond - Diamond Lake REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
