energy saving bulbs safety warning....

Anonymous-0 · Oct 29, 2011

Hey folks,
just got this safety warning from the unit safety manager. True or false? I don't know, just passing it on.

Dave

http://www.otherworld.ellisctaylor.com/EX_SA_013_Energy_Saving_Bulbs_Warning.pdf

rustyfarmall · Oct 29, 2011

I've got only two of those cfls still in use. I did have up to 10 at one time, but 8 of them didn't last more than about 1 or 2 months so I never bought any more. Kinda looks like it might be a very good idea to get rid of the remaining 2 also.

Anonymous-0 · Oct 29, 2011

I don't think I have but 1 maybe 2 incandescent bulbs on the place......
Guess I need to be careful..... Probably a little more to this than is being reported......

Casey in Ky · Oct 29, 2011

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/cfl.asp

Probably mostly true. I wonder how many lawsuits are about to be filed over this?

Dick L · Oct 29, 2011

Anyone remember when the teachers would break a glass thermometer so the class could make a dime shinny with the mercury from inside the thermometer by rubbing it between your fingers?

Must be why I am bald at 73. I should sue my dead teachers.

Janicholson · Oct 29, 2011

The Phosphorous coating is more of a problem than the mercury.
The issue is clear. Dispose of them correctly, don't use them in trouble lights, and if broken avoid using a vacuum cleaner, brush the glass into a plastic bag and dispose of at a center, or merchant taking florscent bulbs. Every florescent bulb used has the same risks as CF bulbs. The older the bulb, the more mercury in it. We have lived with these things for more than 75 years. I intend to keep doing it. Jim

LJD · Oct 29, 2011

Looks like a bunch of fear-mongering and hyperbole. Last I checked, fluorescent shop lights have more mercury in them then any little CFL bulb. How come nobody's writing scary stories about them? Also, the newest CFLs have much less mercury then the ones made 3-4 years ago (which still wasn't much).

I've got well over 100 of the CFLs in two houses, two barns, and a cabin. Very few problems. A few died when only a few months old but at a cost of a buck each, not exactly a big deal. Some I bought in 6-packs for $4.99. They DO use a lot less electricity then tungsten-filament Edison bulbs.

So seems I should have died 50 years ago. I've got mercury in my teeth, grew up in houses with mercury thermostats and I've swept up many a broken 4 foot shot light. Then of course I chewed Red Man for 30 years along with a few packs of Marboros a day (quit 20 years ago). I also used to install a lot of asbestos brake linings and asbestors siding on houses. Also spent many years fishing and biting on lead sinkers. Also had my hands and arms soaked with grease and diesel fuel. Also breathed a lot of sawdust from treated wood for a long, long time. CCA, ACQ, and I'm sure other toxins. My thoughts on the miniscule amount of mercury in CFLs? There are much worse things to worry about.

Phil Scarborough · Oct 29, 2011

Well known in Europe how dangerous these bulbs can be.Cannot get any other type now, incandescent bulbs are not allowed to be sold in England, due to global warming!!

Anonymous-0 · Oct 29, 2011

Posted a response on your subject on tool talk.The comments you have as replys from these fellows is to let a person know this seems to be a projected folly from the green machiene. In oher words, B.S. I've managed to live for 76 years with out being ate up with cancer from all the hazardous items we were exposed to as kids, young adults, aduts. and Old far-s.Lowering the cost of electricity is such a simple mater of using a screwdriver when removing the meter from the meter base, turn the screw to a lower setting. regards LOU.

LJD · Oct 29, 2011

I like the "screw turn-back" idea. I know a guy years back that turned his back too far and his meter started going backwards, He got caught and fined (a lot).

That's one reason why I always call the power company and tell them when I'm cutting off one of their anti-tamper seals to pull a meter.

Lou from Wi. · Oct 29, 2011

LJD. Yep heard that story too. Fellow must have been extreemly greedy. A little goes a long way.
Still a good idea, . regards LOU.

LJD · Oct 29, 2011

As I recall, he trimmed the screw to a point when the meter was still going forward. The problem was - he did it when some heavy appliance was running in the house. Once off, the meter started going the other way. I guess the moral is - if you're going to steal from the power company - do it carefully. I've been cutting tamper-seals for years, when pulling meters to install new entrance services. It got me nervous at times, thinking the power company might accuse me of evil doing. But, it never happened.

Now, my meter turns backwards most of the time -legally - and there's not a thing the power company can do about it (thanks to the sun).

rustyfarmall · Oct 29, 2011

(quoted from post at 13:17:46 10/29/11)
I've got only two of those cfls still in use. I did have up to 10 at one time, but 8 of them didn't last more than about 1 or 2 months so I never bought any more. Kinda looks like it might be a very good idea to get rid of the remaining 2 also.

Got-er-done. The 2 remaining cfls no longer exist. I disposed of them properly. :roll:

Coloken · Oct 29, 2011

when I was a kid and we broke a thermometer, we played with the mercury for days until we lost it some where in the room. Now if a school breaks a thermometer they evacuate the school for days. I am now 82 with no cancer. I don't think that one of those bulbs has any where near as much mercury as a thermometer.

LJD · Oct 29, 2011

Yeah, we used to break them apart and play with the mercury.

Average household thermometer has around 500 milligrams of mercury.

A 60 watt CFL "twisty" bulb has 3-4 milligrams of mercury. A four foot twin-tube shop light has much more.

LJD · Oct 29, 2011

The irony is that most of the mercury that shows up in our food and air comes from electricity production via coal-burning and smoke-stacks. Subsequently, the CFL bulbs cut back a bit on mercury into our environment. That is at least in theory since they save electricity. In reality, I doubt they're turning down those coal fires because there's slightly less electric demand.

Janicholson · Oct 29, 2011

I teach university courses in resource management. Every watt saved is a mercury atom not discharged into the air for all to breathe, or eat in our abundant fish after phosphorilazation. Drama Sells, reality seems irrelevant to way too many! Jim

Indiana Ken · Oct 29, 2011

(quoted from post at 15:23:53 10/29/11) The irony is that most of the mercury that shows up in our food and air comes from electricity production via coal-burning and smoke-stacks. Subsequently, the CFL bulbs cut back a bit on mercury into our environment. That is at least in theory since they save electricity. In reality, I doubt they're turning down those coal fires because there's slightly less electric demand.

Energy savings from more efficient light bulbs:

I was on the Phillps web site recently reading about their new LED "L Prize" bulb; 10 watts input results in 60 watts equivalent light output. This is slightly more efficient than the current CFL bulbs. They claim if every bulb in the US were to be replaced with this bulb the resulting reduction in electrical demand would be 35 billion KWH per year and 20 million metric tons of carbon emisions.

MarkB_MI · Oct 29, 2011

All fluorescent bulbs have mercury in them, always have. In recent years they've reduced the amount of mercury, but haven't eliminated it. It's an acknowledged fact that CFLs will add mercury to landfills, but the amount contributed by CFLs is much less that the reduction achieved by reducing power consumption and the need to burn coal for power generation.

paul · Oct 29, 2011

Well, you're atom of mercury saved is a bit of drama as well. Energy saved is a boit of a relative thing, as the power comanies need to produce more than anticipaded use, so if we all unplug a TV set for 20 minutes, then plug it in again, the power comanies didn't have time to react & save anything - many less watts demanded, but very little change in energy burned to make electricity....

I've had mixed results with the curly bulbs, I do consider them more dangerous to me that incadesents, but do have a handful in use. One is in the unheated barn, works at below zero even, been there 4 years or more. Tried one in a pump monitor fixture thought that would be great energy savings, but it burned out in less than a week, no go.

In the house, I find I need the 100 watt rated curly bulbs to come close to replacing a 60 watt incadesent, and have not found a 100 watt rated curly that I find acceptable to replace a regular 100 watt bulb.

But I'm not against the things, they do save electricity where they work, and in my mind & experience they work in about 1/2 the places for me. Where they work, I use them as the regular bulbs burn out.

I resent the fact that the govt is forcing the issue and telling me what to do, forcing me to use them even if they do not properly work for me in some of my situations.

That is wrong headed.

--->Paul

Anonymous-0 · Oct 30, 2011

Mercury poisioning is real, that foot is not effected by mercury poisioning. Mercury injures the centeral nervious system, the endrocrine system, and the kidneys. It's effects are not soon obvious. That foot has had a serious bacteria issue, I think. I am not saying that the guy didn't step on the debris of a mecrury containing bulb, but it was not the mercury or any other heavy matals that caused that wound, in fact the toxic effect may have helped. If that picture is real that guy came real close to losing his foot, looks like he got real good care.

I am just a Paramedic though, perhaps some ER Nurse or Physician sees something different.

Indiana Ken · Oct 30, 2011

I am with you and very skeptical that the pictured foot is fact a mercury infection. At a large company I once worked for the saftey group output an e-mail that warned about using the then popular waterless hand sanitizers. It warned that they could catch fire and cause severe burns, included was a nasty picture of the poor victim's badly burned hands. Several weeks later a retraction was sent; it was simply a hoax going around the internet that one of the saftey people incorporated into the safety warning.

36 Coupe · Nov 3, 2011

Man died in a house fire here.Fire was started by a fluoresent light fixture.News didnt say if it was a cfl.

energy saving bulbs safety warning....

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