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Annie B. Bond

Compact Fluorescents, Mercury and the Environment

posted by Annie B. Bond May 11, 2007 12:00 am
filed under: Blogs, Ask Annie, Conservation, , , , ,
Compact Fluorescents, Mercury and the Environment
88 comments

Q: I’ve switched to compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs), but I’ve read they contain mercury. Doesn’t that preclude their benefit for the environment, and what about the health hazards? –Sarah, Buffalo, NY

A: We face a classic trade-off dilemma in our choice of light bulbs: does the 2/3 less energy that CFLs use compared to standard incandescents outweigh the mercury pollution they contribute?

CFLs contain small amounts of mercury to allow the bulb to have such a long life. To put the amount in perspective, a CFL has 4 mg of mercury compared to a fever thermometer’s 500 mg. But mercury is highly neurotoxic even at low doses, and the mercury in CFLs surely adds up to be a big problem in the environment because hundreds of millions of fluorescent bulbs are discarded each year.

The best choice for the environment is to choose light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs whenever possible (more about these, below). When comparing CFLs and incandescents the answer is that CFLs are the best win for the environment. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a power plant will emit 10mg of mercury to produce the electricity to run an incandescent bulb compared to only 2.4mg of mercury to run a CFL for the same time. Low-mercury CFLs are now available, and we need to choose those and to dispose of CFLs properly.

If a CFL breaks, the EPA recommended protocol for handling the mercury is not to use your hands or a vacuum cleaner, but to sweep it up, and then wipe the area where it spilled with a damp paper towel. Open nearby windows for ventilation of the vapors.

Recommendations & Resources
* Philips ALTO brand offers low mercury bulbs.

• Green architect Eric Corey reports that one brand of CFLs, Greenlite, can be dimmed, which is good to know for those frustrated because this type of bulb generally can’t be dimmed.
Learn more here.

• LED lighting is incredibly long-lasting and mercury-free. Recent improvements in manufacturing have enabled them to be more practical for the home market. Learn more about LEDs here.

• Contact your local household hazardous waste station or Earth911.org to find out how to dispose of CFLs in your community, and to find out your state’s requirements.

Energy Star’s FAQ’s about CFLs

More on Ask Annie (117 articles available)
More from Annie B. Bond (3248 articles available)

88 comments

88 comments

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88 comments add your comment
Catherine Bowd

Well, I broke the first two of these expensive bulbs trying to put it into a lamp. Not knowing about safety precautions, I picked up the big bits and put in the bin and vaccumed up the rest! Then I found out about their danger.
The BIG PROBLEM I see with this lighting is that there is no easy set up for collection for these bulbs when finished so therefore, I believe they have been introduced before infrastructure was in place for their disposal safely.People will only do what is easiest. And how "green" is it if one has to travel miles to the nearest collection point (if one has been set up, that is)?
And - IF you have one that is NOT made in China - could you please tell me the brand as I have not found one yet! I do not like to think that the world's lighting is in the hands of one country. Imagine if they decided not to ship them! Now I am getting carried away.
So I am not convinced!!

Mcpherson Downs

This is scary. If people followed your instructions they could be exposed to Mercury - by using a wet papper towel without taking the proper safety measures.

I am upset that your article inadiquatly & incorectly states how & what the EPA says in regards to the disposal of CFL's.
The EPA say one must Evacuate the room of children & pets, turn off central air conditioning so as NOT to contaminate the homes heating & air systems, Then one must wear protective clothing such as gloves & a breathing mask. Then one must remove the damaged CFL & all its particulate matter by sweeping - not vacuming, then use a wet towel to pick up the remaining dust. The reminants including the contaminated towel must be double plastic baged.
Acording to the EPA it is a mistameanor to dispose of these bulbs incorrectly & punishable by law - This is scary.

THE SAFEST BEST & MOST ENERGY EFFICIENT & HEALTHIEST OPTION FOR THE ENVIRONMENT IS THE LED BULBS...

Katie S.

Does anyone know how to dispose of light bulbs safely in the UK?

Merthyr S.

We have been using the low mercury, low energy lightbulbs throughout the house for more than two years....they definitely last longer, are "green", which is important, and there is absolutely no difference to the amount of light emitted, which is a definite plus.

Winefred Marcellin

Well I´m finding out that I´m already doing pretty good.
I´m already using compact fluorescents bulbs.
We are not doing so bad in the Netherlands, we are recommended by our energy service to use these bulbs. I must say through experience you save much more energy this way, the bulbs can last very long.

Kimberly Lewis

Starting to replace the old ones. I'm glad Home Depot has them for a resonable price.

Xochitl Real

In all this house there are 9 fluorescent light bulbs even outside the front door.Let's Keeping Energy still working!

Kris K.
  • Kris K. says
  • Oct 22, 2008 8:27 PM

I changed all my bulbs in the house to cfl's in 2007, I recently researched about the LED's and changed my cfl's to led's which use only 3 to 1 watts instead of 18 or 60 w. They are good for direct lighting, but arnt very good with ambient lighting like the cfl

Gina B.
  • Gina B. says
  • Oct 22, 2008 7:57 PM

Don't go to the http://products.mercola.com/light-bulbs unless you like pop-ups. Thanks!!!

Trisha K.

great articles written by membersn not much more to say than "well done to all"

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