Recently compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs have been promoted as better for the environment than traditional incandescent bulbs.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency explains why they advocate the use of CFLs.

Switching from traditional light bulbs to CFLs is an effective, accessible change every American can make right now to reduce energy use at

home and prevent greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global climate change. Lighting accounts for close to 20 percent of the average home’s electric bill. ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs use up to 75 percent less energy than incandescent light bulbs, last up to 10 times longer, cost little up front, and provide a quick return on investment.

If every home in America replaced just one incandescent light bulb with an ENERGY STAR qualified CFL, in one year it would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of more than 800,000 cars.

On October 1, 2007, West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin and West Virginia University President Mike Garrison announced “a year-long, state-wide program to raise awareness about environmental conservation.” One activity that day was a light bulb exchange which allowed WVU students to exchange an incandescent light bulb for a new CFL bulb.

According to the December 19, 2007, issue of U.S. News & World Report, “The incandescent light bulb, one of the most venerable inventions of its era but deemed too inefficient for our own, will be phased off the U.S. market beginning in 2012 under the new energy law just approved by Congress.”

Congresswoman Jane Harman (D-California) is quoted in the December 19, 2007, Los Angeles Times, saying “In this bill, we ban by 2012 the famously inefficient 100-watt incandescent bulb.”

It may not be just the 100 watt incandescent bulb that will go away. According to the Business and Media Institute (as quoted by Michelle Malkin), ” The light bulb provision phases out traditional bulbs by gradually increasing efficiency requirements through 2020.”

Disposal of CFL bulbs may be more difficult than disposal of incandescent bulbs.

The EPA provides links to information on local collection and recycling programs for CFLs and warns:

Some household hazardous waste collection programs only collect these items once or twice a year, so residents will have to hold on to their light bulbs until the collection takes place.

One company sells a “Compact Fluorescent Bulb – Recycling Kit” at a cost of $120.95. “One pail will recycle up to thirty compact fluorescent bulbs.” They also caution, “Do not store spent bulbs for more than one year.”

Since, according to Wikipedia, ” Modern CFLs typically have a lifespan of between 6,000 and 15,000 hours, whereas incandescent lamps are usually manufactured to have a lifespan of 750 hours or 1,000 hours,” I wonder whether a typical household will generate thirty burned out CFLs in a year.

What should you do if you break a CFL bulb?

The EPA’s instructions for cleaning up a broken bulb on carpeting have several steps.

1. Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.
2. Shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system, if you have one.
3. Carefully pick up glass fragments and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such
as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
4. Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments
and powder.
5. If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum the area where the bulb was broken.
6. Remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister), and put the bag or vacuum debris in a sealed plastic bag.
7. Immediately place all cleanup materials outside the building in a trash container or outdoor protected area for the next normal trash.
8. Wash your hands after disposing of the jars or plastic bags containing clean-up materials.
9. Check with your local or state government about disposal requirements in your specific area. Some states prohibit such trash disposal and require that broken and unbroken lamps be taken to a local recycling center.
10. For at least the next few times you vacuum, shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system and open a window prior to vacuuming.
11. Keep the central heating/air conditioning system shut off and the window open for at least 15 minutes after vacuuming is completed.

The Boston Globe, in a February 26, 2008 article, cites recent studies in Maine and Vermont that warn of the mercury hazard of broken CFLs but recommends their use because of their energy efficiency. One cited study

recommended that if a compact fluorescent breaks, get children and pets out of the room. Ventilate the room. Never use a vacuum, even on a rug, to clean up a broken compact fluorescent lamps. Instead, use stiff paper such as index cards and tape to pick up pieces, and then wipe the area with a wet wipe or damp paper towel. If there are young children or pregnant woman in the house, consider cutting out the piece of carpet where the lamp broke as a precaution. Place the shards and cleanup debris in a glass jar with a screw top and remove the jar from the house.

“Consider cutting out the piece of carpet where the lamp broke”?

Minerva Abbott
Proud to be a West Virginian
Proud to be a Reagan Republican

References:

Frequently Asked Questions
Information on Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs) and Mercury
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
February 2008
http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/promotions/change_light/downloads/Fact_Sheet_Mercury.pdf

Colin Booth – Manchin, Garrison launch “WE CAN”
Daily Atheneum, October 2, 2007
http://www.da.wvu.edu/show_article.php?story_id=30296&archive_date=2007-10-02

Marianne Lavelle – FAQ: The End of the Light Bulb as We Know It
U.S. News & World Report, December 19, 2007
http://www.usnews.com/articles/business/economy/2007/12/19/faq-the-end-of-the-light-bulb-as-we-know-it.html
http://www.usnews.com/articles/business/economy/2007/12/19/faq-the-end-of-the-light-bulb-as-we-know-it.html?PageNr=2

Richard Simon – Energy bill boosts fuel-economy standards
Los Angeles Times, December 19, 2007
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/la-na-energy19dec19,0,1969731.story

Michelle Malkin – Incandescent stupidity: Washington outlaws 100 watt lightbulbs
December 19, 2007
http://michellemalkin.com/2007/12/19/incandescent-stupidity-washington-outlaws-100-watt-lightbulbs/

Mercury-Containing Light Bulb (Lamp) Recycling
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
January 30, 2008
http://www.epa.gov/bulbrecycling/

Mercury-Containing Light Bulb (Lamp) Collection and Recycling Programs Where You Live
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
February 20, 2008
http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/id/univwast/lamps/live.htm

Lamp Recycling
http://www.lightbulbrecycling.com/cf_bulb.html

Compact fluorescent lamp
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_fluorescent_lamp

Beth Daley – Mercury leaks found as new bulbs break: Energy benefits of fluorescents may outweigh risk
The Boston Globe, February 26, 2008
http://michellemalkin.com/2007/12/19/incandescent-stupidity-washington-outlaws-100-watt-lightbulbs/