Warning on those energy saving light bulbs...

[Lorrie]

You know those kind that are curly? Well if they break on your floor you better be real careful, cause they contain Mercury **"the most dangerous substance on earth". Early morning news cast this morning says they last longer, but if they break or complete their 9 years of life, the disposal of these bulb is for the "hazardous materials" section.

See www.lamprecycle.org or call 800-321-8100, as is on my unused package of three bulbs.

I don't know, I worry about you.

I have them myself, and didn't know this. Course after reading an unused package of bulbs just now, it does say that "this product contains mercury".

Is this a case where the good of a long lasting bulb out ways the dangerous mercury in it? Hmmmm

Wow...
~Lorrie
**NBC News

[decterlove]

Thanks for the heads up Lorrie....I just bought 4 of them for a dollar at the Grocery Outlet in Petaluma a few weeks ago. I assume the mercury is in some sort of vapor form? Does that make it more dangerous inhalation-wise?

You know those kind that are curly? Well if they break on your floor you better be real careful, cause they contain Mercury **"the most dangerous substance on earth". Early morning news cast this morning says they last longer, but if they break or complete their 9 years of life, the disposal of these bulb is for the "hazardous materials" section.

See www.lamprecycle.org or call 800-321-8100, as is on my unused package of three bulbs.

I don't know, I worry about you.

I have them myself, and didn't know this. Course after reading an unused package of bulbs just now, it does say that "this product contains mercury".

Is this a case where the good of a long lasting bulb out ways the dangerous mercury in it? Hmmmm

Wow...
~Lorrie
**NBC News

[danejasper]

Here's an interesting bit on this from NPR:

https://www.npr.org/templates/story/...toryId=7431198

Quote from Wendy Reed of the EPA's Energy Star program: "She says that even though fluorescent bulbs contain mercury, using them contributes less mercury to the environment than using regular incandescent bulbs. That's because they use less electricity — and coal-fired power plants are the biggest source of mercury emissions in the air."

Of course, proper disposal is key. For years, businesses have been required to properly dispose of fluorescent bulbs. We do it here at our office by buying pre-paid disposal packages which go to a company that manages the proper disposal of the mercury. But, how many offices do YOU know that just toss them in a dumpster?

For CFLs, you can take them to IKEA - they're offering disposal for any CFL, even if you didn't buy it there.

Also, there's some disposal by mail options coming soon. See: https://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/1123/ and also https://veoliaes-ts.com/Services/Ele...ing/RecyclePak

But, rather than shipping bulbs, I've wanted to dispose of them locally. We looked into and tried to buy the https://www.aircycle.com/products/premiumbe/ Bulb Eater product, but it turns out they are not yet available for sale in California. Gah.

Cool brochure here: https://www.aircycle.com/docs/BE_Premium_Flyer.pdf

-Dane