low engery lightbulb gubbings

ferny

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I saw this on BBC Breakfast so thought I'd share it. I wasn't aware they were "dangerous".

  • Low-energy bulb disposal warning

    The public should be told more about the environmental risks of low-energy light bulbs so they are disposed of correctly, the Environment Agency says.

    Low-energy bulbs contain small amounts of poisonous mercury and are classed as hazardous waste.

    If one breaks, the room should be aired and the pieces removed in a sealed bag without using a vacuum cleaner.

    The agency says householders need to be given more information about where to take the bulbs for safe recycling.

    Low-energy bulbs are to replace tungsten bulbs by 2011 under government plans.

    The conventional or "incandescent" bulbs are being phased out in a voluntary agreement with retailers.

    The government wants to end the sale of conventional bulbs to cut carbon dioxide emissions.

    But the Environment Agency says manufacturers' packaging fails to mention official health warnings on what to do if a bulb smashes in the home.

    If a bulb smashes the room should be ventilated, and people are advised not to inhale the dust.

    The lighting industry and the environment department say the risk of pollution posed by low-energy bulbs is negligible compared to that caused by power stations feeding the UK's demand for electricity.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7172662.stm
 
Yea they are just like to big ones at most office buildings/stores, and have mercury in them.

Most people dont know that and I would agree that the packaging should explain a little more.
 
Just think of all those folk who will not be able to dim their lighting - It's on or off with these beasts.
 
Most people dont know that and I would agree that the packaging should explain a little more.

sales would go down if the package said the product contains hazardous levels of mercury...its all about the benjamins.
 
I recently read a story about a lady who broke one of those in here home. She didn't know what to do about it and called the hardware store. Several other phone calls, several govenment agency interventions and several dollars (over $2000) later, her home was cleared of the broken light bulb and life resumed...

Yes, it is very much about the benjamins.
 
I recently read a story about a lady who broke one of those in here home. She didn't know what to do about it and called the hardware store. Several other phone calls, several govenment agency interventions and several dollars (over $2000) later, her home was cleared of the broken light bulb and life resumed...

Yes, it is very much about the benjamins.

LOL. Story sounds fake.

Mercury is a pretty dangerous metal, but it won't kill you instantly and is only effective if you're in direct contact. She could have swept the glass into a dustpan and taken it to the recycling center for hazardous waste...or put it in the garbage...whatever.

I've run fluorescent bulbs in my hosue since I've lived here...they're great.

However, nobody has ever mentioned "oh there's a special way to dispose of them"...
There should really be a program for big vendors to accept them back (like a deposit on pop bottles).

Also, there are special fluorescents now that are "dim-able"...so they're not ALL on or off.
 
I'll see if I can find the story. I can't remember the specifics, but it seemed just plausible and stupid enough to be real.
 
Since when did mercury become bad for you??? Mercury goes great on lamb chops.
 
Just think of all those folk who will not be able to dim their lighting - It's on or off with these beasts.

So you mean no more dimming the lights and throwing on the barry white. :lol: anyway, im a big fan of energy saving bulbs, im kinda enviormentally super concious lol.
 
I used to have this job building air conditioners about 11 or 12 years ago before I was in the Air Force. There was this big bin nearby where they put the bad fluorescent light bulbs from the plant. We'd take them and have sword fights or simply smash them on each other. :confused: Pretty stupid I know. But I'm still kickin! :mrgreen: We also threw screws, bolts, etc at each other. The welders used to take a zip lock bag filled with oxy acetylene gas and drop it on their buddy who was welding and it would explode in his face and about blow your ear drums out. That or they'd fill up your coat with oxy acetylene while you were working and unaware they were back there. Then they'd light it and it would burn all your body hair off. Good times working at that place. It's amazing I'm still alive.
 
I used to have this job building air conditioners about 11 or 12 years ago before I was in the Air Force. There was this big bin nearby where they put the bad fluorescent light bulbs from the plant. We'd take them and have sword fights or simply smash them on each other. :confused: Pretty stupid I know. But I'm still kickin! :mrgreen: We also threw screws, bolts, etc at each other. The welders used to take a zip lock bag filled with oxy acetylene gas and drop it on their buddy who was welding and it would explode in his face and about blow your ear drums out. That or they'd fill up your coat with oxy acetylene while you were working and unaware they were back there. Then they'd light it and it would burn all your body hair off. Good times working at that place. It's amazing I'm still alive.

By all means you should have died long ago!!! Tsk tsk...
 
The bad thing about Mercury is it's retained in certain body organs for life. The liver is one. OTOH, I've eaten enough tuna over my life, mercury should account for about 10% of my body weight. (ya doc, that's the ticket, my story and I'm stick'in to it) And our place has many dozens of 40 watt tubes in it in addition to all the bulbs in the house, studio, and parrot rooms that are not 40 W tubes, are CF bulbs. When one goes bad, we always just broke it in the dumpster. (not in the last year or two since all the hub-bub about mercury) I think this story is simply an over-reaction to a simple issue with simple answers. So, listen to what the pols and talking heads say, filter out 99% of the doom and gloom, and take the rest with a grain of salt. Al Gore had us dieing in 10 years, remember? About 16 years ago.
 

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