Energy Saving Lightbulbs Contain Mercury, did you know?

[radderfire]

Did you know that energy saving lightbulbs contain small amounts of mercury?

As someone with green leanings, I was surprised to find this out. You like to do your bit for the environment using energy saving light bulbs, but then mercury is a known neurotoxin and a serious environmental pollutant. Whilst levels are small when compared to say a mercury thermometer, the advice is that if you break one then you ventilate the room and vacate it for a while. The argument is that overall these bulbs are better in terms of environmental mercury because it saves electricity and coal burning itself releases far more environmental mercury than would be released if a bulb was landfilled (although it should be recycled).

Personally I don't feel that the public has been well informed about this. As they contain mercury, energy saving lightbulbs should also be taken to specialist recycling facilities rather than thrown away in household waste - again, I don't think this has been well publicised.

Also, the same type of technology is used in the small CCFL (Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp) tubes used to backlight LCD monitors. So, your LCD monitor contains small amounts of (sealed) mercury (and therefore requires specialist recycling too). I never realised this until recently.

Apple are appealing to those with green leanings in the marketing of their MacBook ("our greenest ever" ) that is billed as mercury free because it contains LED backlighting rather than CCFL technology. There are a few Windows laptops using LED technology too (from Sony I believe) and Dell is set to switch over to LED technology later in the year.

I thought the forum would be interested to know this and would be interested in any views.

Rgds

Radderfire

 

[[DOD]Asprilla]

I knew.

 

[Conscript]

I didn't.

 

[Rich]

I do now.

 

[gurusan]

I knew.

 

[Mr-White]

i know now lol

MW

 

[Dunks]

I broke one of these last night and didnt know

 

[Feek]

I didn't. Now I do. Do I care? I mean, do I really actually care at all, even the slightest bit?

No. *shrug*

 

[Wicksta]

I broke one today actually, fitted one into my outside light and it was touching a bit of metal where the bulb was bigger and broke after being on for a while.

It's now in the dustbin, hope I don't kill too much wildlife.

 

[tuftyfella]

there was a post about this a few months or so ago iirc, so i know already.

 

[BillytheImpaler]

What did you expect it to contain, rainbows and unicorns?

 

[Sugar Free]

I knew. I've worked with mercury and methylated mercury in the lab which is probably more concerning to me!

Cans of tuna also contains mercury in a form.

 

[Burnsy2023]

I didn't. Now I do. Do I care? I mean, do I really actually care at all, even the slightest bit?

No. *shrug*

I did know, but I don't really care that much.

 

[asim18]

I knew.

 

[Doonhamer]

energy saving lightbulbs should also be taken to specialist recycling facilities rather than thrown away in household waste - again, I don't think this has been well publicised.

I have not looked I will be honest here, but I would be amazed if it did not actually say this on every single box of bulbs sold. The simple fact is the public are too lazy/stupid/uninterested to care.

You can only legislate for numpties so much.

Edit: How can you not realise your not meant to throw stuff like monitors in the bin? For somebody who claims to be interested in the environment you show a shocking lack of knowledge.

 

[Klo]

I didn't know.

Another reason not to use them!

 

[Puzzled]

I didn't. Now I do. Do I care? I mean, do I really actually care at all, even the slightest bit?

No. *shrug*

Same

It may be selfish but I don't want to have to sort everything out and take each bit of rubbish to a special box where it will be processed. I just chuck it in the bin (or the recycle box as I can just about handle that one) and let the rubbish fairies do their thing.

 

[radderfire]

What did you expect it to contain, rainbows and unicorns?

I guess it's more a case of I didn't expect them to contain mercury. As energy saving lightbulbs are marketed as a way to improve the environment, you are surprised / taken aback when you find out they contain an environmental contaminant such as mercury.

Rgds

 

[Kol]

Don't worry, there is no where near enough merucry in the bulbs to do anything. Source? My old tutor who was a consultant for the government, Dr David Ray. He is a neurotoxicologist and he said it's nothing to get your knickers ina twist about.

European Registered Toxicologist
Past-president of the International Neurotoxicology Association
Member of the editorial boards of the journals Neurotoxicology, Food & Chemical Toxicology, and International Journal of Toxicology
Member of the WHO Joint Meeting on Pesticide Residues (Toxicology), UK Food Standards Agency Committee on Toxicology, and of the UK DEFRA Advisory Committee on Pesticides

So I think I'm happy with what he told me, moreso than scaremongoring.

 

[radderfire]

Edit: How can you not realise your not meant to throw stuff like monitors in the bin? For somebody who claims to be interested in the environment you show a shocking lack of knowledge.

Perhaps I did not word it very well, but I am very aware of these issues and do realise that most electrical equipment should be taken to specialist recycling facilities if at all possible.

Rgds