More countries are planning to phase out the sale of incandescent bulbs for the sake of the environment, leaving citizens concerned as to how this will affect them. After all, tungsten bulbs have been with us since the days of Thomas Edison, and don't the new bulbs contain mercury? Won't we miss the soft yellow glow of home lighting after a long day at the office under the harsh blue flicker of fluorescents?
Reasons to Switch
The new CFLs have come a long way, when compared to old fluorescent bulbs and strip lights. They now fit in standard light sockets and they don't flicker. They come in "warm white," which mimics the happy glow of incandescents. The new dimmable CFLs are becoming more widely available, for those who love the romance of dimmer switches. CFLs can be used outdoors.
In the long run, the new lights will save everyone money and reduce pollution. Under normal usage, a CFL should last 8 or 10 times as long as a tungsten bulb. This and the fact that CFLs use 50-80% less energy for the same brightness makes the CFL a lot cheaper in the long run, despite a higher initial cost.
While it's true that some CFLs need time to "warm up" to full capacity, and frequent on-offs may reduce a bulb's life, greater savings mean you don't have to turn lights off every time you leave a room. By the way, the energy needed to power-up a CFL is about the same as that needed to keep it on a minute or two.
The newer CFLs contain less than 4 milligrams of mercury per lamp, which is less than a fifth of the mercury used in a typical watch battery, according to DEFRA, a UK government department. Use of CFLs is expected to reduce the amount of mercury released into the environment by power plants by roughly 7 mg per bulb. Saving electricity will also reduce CO2 emissions, acid rain, and nuclear waste.
Safety Issues?
According to the Health Protection Agency, mercury vapor is not released from a CFL unless the bulb breaks. If that happens, ventilate the room for at least 15 minutes. Then brush the fragments into a box, being careful not to raise any dust, wipe up with a damp cloth, and dispose of the lot as hazardous waste. Each municipality will have guidelines for the disposal of electrical waste, and provisions for recycling.
Worst case, the amount of mercury vapor you'd likely inhale from one small bulb is comparable to eating a few cans of tuna.
What about reports of skin rashes and migraines caused by CFLs? Well, the new CFLs don't flicker, so the concern over migraines is probably unfounded. Those with pre-existing skin conditions causing hypersensitivity to UV rays should purchase encapsulated lights with a double glass envelope. Or, stay at least a foot away from an open bulb to avoid UV rays.
In other words, it's best to use encapsulated lights for close work or reading.
Within a range of one foot, the UV rays from a CFL are said to be similar to UV exposure on a sunny winter day. But it's doubtful you'll get significant UVA/UVB in the right ratio, so either go outside or get an actual sun lamp for tanning and Vitamin D.
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