The Case for CFLsCompact fluorescent light bulbs are safe, and they look great,
too.
CFL use is spiraling upward
I'm constantly being told that the simplest way to improve my green cred is
to start using compact fluorescent lights. Yet some naysayer argue that the
environmental benefits of CFLs are negated by their mercury content. Who's
right?
The case against CFLs is built largely on half-truths and innuendo. Yes, the
energy-saving bulbs contain mercury, a neurotoxin responsible for a tremendous
amount of human suffering over the years. And safely recycling CFLs remains far
more difficult than it should be. But these facts don't justify sticking with
inefficient incandescent technology that has barely changed since the invention
of the tungsten filament nearly a century ago.
CFLs are lauded by environmentalists because they require far less electrical
power than their incandescent counterparts. A 26-watt CFL bulb produces the
same lumens as a 100-watt incandescent bulb. Assuming that you keep one of
those bulbs aglow for six hours a day, switching to a CFL will save you 126
kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, which translates to 170 pounds of
carbon dioxide emissions on average. Now, how many bulbs do you have in your
house? Twenty? Thirty? Replace them all and you could conceivably (assuming
six-hour-a-day use throughout the building) reduce your annual CO2 output by
upward of 2.3 metric tonsabout 10 percent of the average American household's
annual carbon footprint.
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Just look at what's forecast for Australia, which last year became the first
nation to mandate a gradual phase-out of incandescent bulbs. According to
Australia's Environment Minister, the measure will eventually slash the
country's greenhouse gas emissions by 4 million metric tons per yearthe
equivalent of taking 1 million vehicles off the road.
But what about the mercury? The toxic heavy metal is integral to the design
of current CFL bulbs: Electricity agitates the mercury molecules, causing them
to emit ultraviolet light. That light then spurs a bulb's phosphor coating to
give off visible light. But the amount contained in each bulb is barely enough
to cover the tip of a ballpoint pen, and won't cause any bodily harm as long as
simple precautions are taken. The National Electrical Manufacturers Association
has voluntarily imposed a limit of 5 milligrams per bulb on all CFLs sold in
the United Statesabout 1 percent of the mercury contained in an old home
thermometer. Since manufacturers are well aware that health fears are
preventing the widespread adoption of CFLs, most have committed to making bulbs
with even less mercury than NEMA's standard. The average CFL bulb now contains
around 4 milligrams of mercury, and that figure should drop closer to 2
milligrams in the very near future. Much of the credit for
these reductions goes to Wal-Mart, which has pressured GE, Royal Phillips, and
Osram Sylvania to cut down on the quicksilver.
The irony of CFLs is that they actually reduce overall mercury emissions in
the long run. Despite recent improvements in the industry's technology, the
burning of coal to produce electricity emits roughly 0.023 milligrams of
mercury per kilowatt-hour. Over a year, then, using a 26-watt CFL in the
average American home (where half of the electricity comes from coal) will
result in the emission of 0.66 milligrams of mercury. For 100-watt incandescent
bulbs, which produce the identical amount of light, the figure is 2.52
milligrams.
Ah, but what if your CFL bulb shatters? First off, don't panic: Unless you
plan on picking up the glass with bare hands and then licking it, you're almost
certainly safe from harm. Just follow the EPA's easy cleanup guidelines, which
include placing the remnants in a sealed plastic bag and washing your hands
when the chore is finished, and all should be well. (Also, use common sense and
don't place CFLs where they can be damaged by young children.) As for that
oft-told horror story about the woman in Maine who was quoted a price of $2,000
to dispose of a busted CFL bulb, don't believe itat least not entirely. She
may have been the mark for a shady contractor; get the facts here (PDF) and
here.
Even a broken CFL bulb won't leak too much toxic metal. According to the EPA,
just 6.8 percent of the mercury in a CFL bulbthat's at most 0.34 milligramsis
released if it shatters. OSHA's permissible exposure limit for mercury vapor in
the workplace is 0.1 milligrams per cubic meter, so you'd have to break that
bulb in an extremely cramped space for there to be an appreciable hazard.
Critics of CFLs have stressed that the mercury savings may be negligible in
areas such as the Pacific Northwest, where hydropower is prevalent. (A Seattle
newspaper columnist makes the case here.) But keep in mind that all power grids
are at least partly dependent on coal; according to the EPA's Power Profiler,
for example, Washington's Puget Sound Energy still derives 34 percent of its
fuel from coal. As a result, CFLs still have a significant edge in terms of
mercury emissions, to say nothing of greenhouse gas emissions.
There is one major knock on CFLs, though, and that's the current dearth of
recycling options. Because of the mercury issues, it's unwiseand often
illegalto throw spent CFL bulbs in the trash. (A single broken bulb is one
thing, but thousands upon thousands of broken bulbs in a garbage dump could be
seriously bad news.) You can find local recycling centers here, take your bulbs
to the nearest IKEA, or use a mail-in service such as RecyclePak. All of these
options, alas, require a bit more motivation than tossing your beer cans in a
blue bin. But look for several major retailers to set up recycling drop-off
boxes this year, in order to goose their CFL sales.
The last, desperate swipe at CFLsas elucidated by the Lantern's colleague
last weekis that their light is cold and dreadful. Perhaps this was true in
years past, but the Lantern just doesn't see it anymore: In a recent test,
Popular Mechanics rated CFL light as far superior to that produced by
incandescent bulbs. Don't believe the hype? You've got nothing to lose by
trying a single CFL bulb (one that's received EnergyStar certification) and
seeing for yourself. And then, once you've become a convert, please spread the
word.
check out my website......http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/arubyrogers/
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