We should work together to make fluorescent and incandescent bulbs illegal. There's no reason people cannot pay a bit more for the greener LED light bulbs. And they last much longer, so that means less waste in our landfills.

I totally agree that incandescent bulbs should be phased out (and they are doing so here in Canada) but I think LED light bulbs aren't yet in a position to replace CFLs. Once some of the problems are worked out, however, a move to LEDs would be best for everyone.

Okay, so which is it... Is mercury bad for you or not? There's that one video on the sift where the guy is handling mercury and then there is this. Make up your minds dammit...

So the answer is, no, they are not.

The amount of mercury released in the atmosphere is a net loss compared to an incandescent if it's powered by a coal-fire plant. The natural mercury in the coal would be greater than the 15mLs in the bulb.

>> ^cyberscythe:
So the answer is, no, they are not.
The amount of mercury released in the atmosphere is a net loss compared to an incandescent if it's powered by a coal-fire plant. The natural mercury in the coal would be greater than the 15mLs in the bulb.


Atmospheric mercury pollution from coal-fire plants is nominal compared to other producers like various gold mines. Besides that, atmospheric pollution is not as dangerous to you directly as is the concentration in your home if a florescent light breaks, and in landfills where the toxin can run off into local rivers and enter the food chain.


>> ^ponceleon:
Okay, so which is it... Is mercury bad for you or not? There's that one video on the sift where the guy is handling mercury and then there is this. Make up your minds dammit...


And yes, mercury is bad for you. Very bad.

http://www.videosift.com/video/How-Mercury-Causes-Neurodegeneration-Brain-Damage

Mercury is bad if it gets in your blood. Breathing it will do that. If you are a normal human being, your skin ought to keep it on the outside of your body if you handle it. That's what skin is for.

Compact Flourescents actually release less mercury into the atmosphere than an incandescent because the power generation causes more mercury released into the atmosphere (avg 5.8 mg in the life from power generation) compared to CFL (avg 1.8 in the life- 1.2 from power and .6 from power generation) Manufacturers of CFLs are also reducing the amount of mercury every year, and if recycled properly the mercury going into landfills is none. While LED's are great in some applications, the price is too high right now to make it practical and the light is very cold making it unattractive to the average person.