light bulb reminder !

[Err]

I don't agree with the government's ban on incandescent bulbs. This just reeks of lobbyists. I think people ought to buy what they want. Myself, I've been using CFLs for years due to their longevity. I have a set of floodlights out back I bought ~7 or 8 years ago. They are still going strong. I'm also excited for the newer LEDs coming out. I bought a small LED bulb for my daughter's night-lamp and it's looks good. Most of the bulbs in our house are CFL. However, the money savings is very small. In fact, between the bulbs that supposed to save energy and the energy-star dishwasher and clothes washer, the savings is still negligible in my experience.

Mercury is only dangerous when it's inhaled or actually enters the body. We have microscopes at work that use a mercury vapor lamp. When the bulb is cool you can see the minute ball of mercury. My guess is that CFLs don't have much more. You would have to be exposed to a lot of mercury vapor over a period of time to drive you mad. You're probably exposed more mercury through seafood that you are from broken lamps.

[Koo Koo Mouse]

I'm in the maintanance feild and have cleaned up a lot of messes with broken 8 foot flouescent tubes over my 35 years in the trade. I have not had any ill effects. Just my .02

[EvilHorace]

I don't hear much about people dropping dead from broken fluorescent tubes

And you won't (unless they're huffing the stuff) BUT there's no doubt that the stuff isn't exactly healthy to be around either. There are many sources of substances most of use in our daily life that probably do cause serious problems for many people.
I don't know if you've known people who've died at early ages from Cancer but I've now known 2, one died at the age of 21, another at 34. No one knows why they got Cancer but I think it's possible that perhaps they were exposed to something in our environment that triggered it? Could be certain chemicals, things in the foods we eat, etc. Just because the stuff is there and most people don't die the moment they're near it doesn't mean that it has no ill effects or is OK.
With my work, I'm exposed to many bad chemicals (in air, on skin, eyes, etc) and questionable air quality and although I'm still here at the age of 55, that doesn't mean that I won't have problems in years to come because of things in our environment.
As for bulbs, the old incandescent bulbs are far safer the the newer bulbs. Sure, you can get cut handling them when broken but that's about it.

[b-man1]

i've been switching to them over the years anyway, so no big deal there, but i don't like the forcing of them...especially when they are a 100% import product.

[normalicy]

My entire house except for a few lights is CFL by choice. It's nice for both energy savings & because I only replace a bulb a year at most. With incandescent, it seemed a constant chore to replace bulbs.

The mercury isn't nearly as dangerous as it's presented. Sure, if you sit there & play with the bulb after it's broken it'll get into you. Even then, it's really not enough to mess you up unless you do it regularly.

[renovation]

they said for year that theres mercury in fish and we shouldn't eat fish more then once a week - http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/mercury/guide.asp
LEAST MERCURY
Enjoy these fish:
Anchovies
Butterfish
Catfish
Clam
Crab (Domestic)
Crawfish/Crayfish
Croaker (Atlantic)
Flounder*
Haddock (Atlantic)*
Hake
Herring
Mackerel (N. Atlantic, Chub)
Mullet
Oyster
Perch (Ocean)
Plaice
Pollock
Salmon (Canned)**
Salmon (Fresh)**
Sardine
Scallop*
Shad (American)
Shrimp*
Sole (Pacific)
Squid (Calamari)
Tilapia
Trout (Freshwater)
Whitefish
Whiting


MODERATE MERCURY
Eat six servings or less per month:
Bass (Striped, Black)
Carp
Cod (Alaskan)*
Croaker (White Pacific)
Halibut (Atlantic)*
Halibut (Pacific)
Jacksmelt
(Silverside)
Lobster
Mahi Mahi
Monkfish*
Perch (Freshwater)
Sablefish
Skate*
Snapper*
Tuna (Canned
chunk light)
Tuna (Skipjack)*
Weakfish (Sea Trout)


HIGH MERCURY
Eat three servings or less per month:
Bluefish
Grouper*
Mackerel (Spanish, Gulf)
Sea Bass (Chilean)*
Tuna (Canned Albacore)
Tuna (Yellowfin)*


HIGHEST MERCURY
Avoid eating:
Mackerel (King)
Marlin*
Orange Roughy*
Shark*
Swordfish*
Tilefish*
Tuna
(Bigeye, Ahi)*

[EvilHorace]

They make mercury free bulbs now but they're costlier than those with mercury.

Anyway.....I had a burned out CFL bulb laying around and I was going to put it in the car and take to the hardware store where they properly dispose of them BUT I must have bumped it and it fell on the floor and broke. Luckily my wife wasn't home or things could have gotten ugly. So, I just swept it up, in the trash, done. So much for that being handled safely.