it's sad to see how quickly compact fluorescent light bulbs are replacing incandescent bulbs.  My concerns is not only the environmental concerns, but the health concerns.   Of course, the impact of the environment impacts a much greater portion of the population, so I think I have a greater chance of focusing on these concerns.   I find the health issues to be truly frightening.

Many have switched to CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps) in these challenging economic times simply to save money. However no public education at all has been given about how to safely dispose of broken bulbs to avoid mercury contamination, and it seems unavoidable that there will be seepage from garbage tips into groundwater in years to come that will affect water supplies – a disaster waiting to happen.

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/89185/Dangers-of-low-energy-lightbulbs

 

A team led by Colin Humphreys at the University of Cambridge in England, funded by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (bless ‘em) has now developed LED lights that can be produced cheaply enough to replace incandescent and CFLs completely. Not only do they last for 100,000 hours on average, which is 10 times as long as CFLs and 130 times longer than incandescents, but they do not contain mercury, they switch on instantly (CFLs take time), and they can be engineered to give full spectrum light.

Humphreys laments the UK government’s decision to phase out incandescents so quickly. "We should have stayed with tungsten for another five years and then switched to LEDs," he says.

The UK government’s Technology Strategy Board is apparently providing funding to develop production LEDs at affordable prices, so my advice in the meantime is to stockpile incandescents, avoid CFLs like the plague, and sit it out until LEDs come of age or some even better alternative is found. I am encouraged to see that there are a lot of people working on this technology at the moment, and I’m very hopeful the CFL issue will soon be resolved.

I heard from a reliable source, by the way, that fluorescent lights were only ever invented as an emergency measure during World War II to save on energy. It was known at that time that long-term exposure to fluorescents posed health risks, and it's my guess the inventor would be turning in his grave to know that they are still in use today.

The story

DANGER: Energy-saving lightbulbs

Saturday March 14,2009
By Penny Stretton Have your say(30)

SERIOUS concerns were raised yesterday about the toxic effects of energy-saving lightbulbs.

Doctors say scores of people are coming forward with skin complaints after being exposed to the ultra-violet light emitted by the new-style bulbs. And the mercury powder inside them makes handling a broken bulb extremely dangerous.

Exposure to high levels of mercury can cause itching, burning, skin inflammation, kidney problems and insomnia.

Alarming guidelines issued by the Government warn that anyone breaking a low-energy bulb should leave the room immediately.


The guidelines, published on the Defra website, say: “Vacate the room and ventilate it for at least 15 minutes.

If thousands of CFL bulbs were sent to landfill this could pose a problem

Dr Michelle Bloor

“Do not use a vacuum cleaner but clean up using rubber gloves and aim to avoid creating and inhaling airborne dust.”

The debris must be disposed of at a secure site for contaminated material or returned to the retailer.

Last night experts claimed the Government had not done enough to make people aware of the dangers of compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs).

EU rules mean all old incandescent lightbulbs must be phased out by 2012. But the green measure could backfire and end up harming the environment.
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Dr Michelle Bloor, of Ports mouth University, said: “If thousands of CFL bulbs were sent to landfill this could pose a problem. Mercury could leak and get into the food chain.

“Mercury cannot escape from an intact lamp. But people must try to avoid contact with it if they do break one.
“The problem is that many councils do not know the correct guidelines for disposing of the lamps. Only six out of 17 we spoke to knew the rules.”

Gerrard Fisher, of recycling group Wrap, said: “Mercury is a dangerous material. Consumers have to be careful.”

Fears that CFLs and halogen lamps can cause migraine, epilepsy and eczema have already been raised. People who suffer from Lupus, a disorder which leaves them housebound bec ause they cannot be exposed to light, are also reporting a flare-up of their condition.

Dr Robert Sarkany, consultant dermatologist at Kings College London, said: “Reactions to fluorescent lights are not well understood. But I am seeing regular handfuls of patients who are complaining of skin allergies when exposed to them, as are my colleagues.

“Common symptoms are severe stinging, burning and itching of the skin, along with red rash. We don’t understand these symptoms well yet, but they do exist. I think it would be perfectly reasonable for people who suffer these very serious problems to still have access to traditional bulbs.”


Lupus sufferer Brenda Ryder, 56, of the Isle of Wight, said: “A total ban on incandescent lighting would be terrible for me.”


Labour MP Janet Dean has raised the issue with ministers. “The Department of Health is looking into it,” she said.

Thanks to Karen Kingston  and her space clearning newsletter for this information.