Lifestyle

Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) can greatly reduce the amount electricity used to light your home. An average CFL uses only 15 watts of energy to produce the same amount of light generated by a 100-watt incandescent bulb. However, several readers of this column have written to express their concern about the fact that CFLs contain mercury.

While it is true that CFLs contain mercury, and that mercury is toxic, there is no danger of the mercury escaping as long as the bulbs remain intact. That means that unless you break the bulb, the mercury is safely contained. In the event that a bulb breaks, a few basic precautions should keep your family safe: first, open doors and windows in the room so that any potential mercury vapors may escape; next, sweep up the fragments (don’t vacuum, as the blower in the vacuum will vent the mercury into the room and disperse it into the atmosphere); finally, secure the fragments in an airtight container (a tied plastic bag works well) until they may be properly disposed of.

How serious is the danger from mercury contamination in CFLs? A standard CFL contains about 5 milligrams (mg) of mercury. There are several other common household items (int the USA) that contain more mercury than a CFL. Here are some examples:

• A standard lithium watch battery contains about 25 mg of mercury. That’s equivalent to 5 CFL light bulbs.
• Older dental fillings contain about 500 mg of mercury. That’s equivalent to 100 CFL light bulbs.
• Old-fashioned home thermometers contain up to 2000 mg of mercury. That’s equivalent to 400 CFL light bulbs. If you use the new battery-powered ones, these usually run off of lithium batteries, so you’ve cut the mercury down to the equivalent of 5 CFL light bulbs.
• Automatic safety shutoff switches in steam irons (the ones that shut off the iron if it’s accidentally knocked over) contain about 3500 mg of mercury. That’s equivalent to 700 CFL light bulbs.
• Some other common household items that may contain mercury include greeting cards that play music, shoes with lighted soles, pilot light sensors, electric switches, barometers, analog blood pressure devices, stoves, ovens, water heaters, space heaters, clothes dryers, furnaces, ball point pens, latex paint manufactured before 1992, pesticides manufactured before 1994, older children’s chemistry sets, batteries, and anything with a safety shutoff switch.

This is not to suggest that mercury is a safe thing to have around your household, but if you are concerned about mercury contamination, there are plenty of other items around your home that pose a greater risk than CFLs. If CFLs are properly handled and properly disposed of, there is less risk of exposure to mercury than posed by other household items.

One final thing to consider with CFLs is the energy savings. Since CFLs generate the same amount of light as a 100-watt bulb for only 15 watts of power, they save a tremendous amount of energy. Most energy generated in the United States comes from coal-burning power plants. Burning coal releases mercury into the atmosphere. So it is conceivable that using incandescent bulbs poses a greater risk of mercury contamination than using CFLs.

Chuck Hall is a Sustainability Consultant and author. His latest book, Green Circles: A Sustainable Journey from the Cradle to the Grave, is now available at the Culture Artist Web site at www.cultureartist.org. You may contact Chuck by email at: chuck@cultureartist.org.