Green Light Bulbs

Go Green! Everyone is going green. We're going green on so much that sometimes we don't stop to think about what we're doing or to consider the fact that there may be unintended consequences of our good intentions.

Take compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL's). They are advertised as using 75% less energy and last 8-10 times longer than normal incandescent light bulbs. San Francisco, in their infinite wisdom, is seeking to ban incandescent light bulbs (in addition to plastic bags).

The problem that people fail to realize with CFL's lies right on the label of the box. "Lamp Contains Mercury" or for the people in Montgomery County, "La Lampara Contiene Mercurio". "Manage in Accord with Disposal Laws". Disposal laws? You mean you can't just throw these things away when they die? You got it.

Another thing I noticed the last time I went to Home Depot is that they no longer carry GE light bulbs. Instead, most of their light bulbs are made in China. This is reassuring because everyone knows that China is the global leader in product safety. None of their toys are tainted with lead, mercury, cadmium, and the blood of political dissidents, except for the products that they sell in stores, like Wal-Mart. (And isn't it amazing that Wal-Mart is able to carry any toys considering EVERYTHING sold in Wal-Mart is made in China?!!!)

If you have to properly dispose of these bulbs, how does that indicate that they are perfectly safe? If they were perfectly safe, you'd just drop them in your trash can. What possibly could be the problem with these bulbs?

According to http://www.lamprecycle.org/, there has been no significant adverse affect of ingestion, inhalation, skin or eye contact from broken bulbs. No "significant adverse affects"? I think I heard the same thing coming from the Russian government in the wake of the Chernobyl nuclear plant explosion. "There is no news to report today....especially in Chernobyl."

Signs of mercury poisoning, not that it's possible after being exposed to these safe bulbs, are profuse sweating, increased heart rate, hypersalivation, hypertension, loss of teeth, hair, and nails, transient rashes, muscle weakness, kidney dysfunction, emotional lability, memory impairment, and insomnia. Fortunately, these symptoms seem mild.

On the Environmental Protection Agency's webpage, they provide some helpful tips for handling damaged light bulbs:

Fluorescent light bulbs contain a very small amount of mercury sealed within the glass tubing. EPA recommends the following clean-up and disposal guidelines:
1. Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.
2. Carefully scoop up the fragments and powder with stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a sealed plastic bag.
· Use disposable rubber gloves, if available (i.e., do not use bare hands). Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes and place them in the plastic bag.
· Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.
3. Place all cleanup materials in a second sealed plastic bag.
· Place the first bag in a second sealed plastic bag and put it in the outdoor trash container or in another outdoor protected area for the next normal trash disposal.Note: Some states prohibit such trash disposal and require that broken and unbroken lamps be taken to a local recycling center.
· Wash your hands after disposing of the bag.
4. If a fluorescent bulb breaks on a rug or carpet:
· First, remove all materials you can without using a vacuum cleaner, following the steps above. Sticky tape (such as duct tape) can be used to pick up small pieces and powder.
· If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum the area where the bulb was broken, remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister) and put the bag or vacuum debris in two sealed plastic bags in the outdoor trash or protected outdoor location for normal disposal.

Wow. Based on this list of frightening intrusive and demanding instructions, I agree with Al Gore that these things are perfectly safe. I bet he tells all of his servants not to worry about cleaning up these broken bulbs.

So where do you dispose of your used compact fluorescent bulbs? You're lucky. There is a facility in Maryland. Though there is only one. It is located at:

Environmental Preservation Associates

dba USA Lights

3408 52nd Avenue

Hyattsville, MD 20781301-699-6244

Please drive to this facility near Washington, D.C. in your SUV and spend $30 in gas to get there. It is located in the dangerous ghetto neighborhood of Hyattsville. Properly dispose of your used bulbs. It's the environmentally friendly thing to do!!! Yeah!!!