.
.
.
.
THOSE PARTY ANIMALS .
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Posted on 04/02/2007 7:28:27 PM PDT by grundle
Mercury is poisonous, but it's also a necessary part of most compact fluorescent bulbs
some scientists and environmentalists are worried that most are ending up in garbage dumps.
Mercury can also damage the kidneys and liver, and in sufficient quantities can cause death.
some of the mercury emitted from landfills is in the form of vaporous methyl-mercury, which can get into the food chain
"Disposal of any mercury-contaminated material in landfills is absolutely alarming to me," said Lindberg, emeritus fellow of the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
"I have CFLs throughout my house," said Lindberg, who lives in California. "None of them have burned out yet. I can't tell you what I'll do with them when they've burned out, but I won't throw them in the garbage."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Whoops. A snake in Paradise.
Call the Prophet Algore to determine whether the mercury will destroy the ozone layer or the polar bears or other sentient life.
I’ve been waiting for this to hit. Wait until there are billions of them out there and then say, “Uh, there’s mercury in those.” Duh! Of course there is! But “saving the planet” is so important, it’s OK to poison it?
I wonder if compact florecents are an “algore eco-profit” scam.
IOW because there are no patent royalties to pay for light bulbs, you FORCE everyone to switch to the product that must have royalties paid.
I’ll sell you some mercury offsets if you feel guilty about using these things.
I liked the thread maybe two weeks ago where a lady dropped a bulb and the state was ready to call its Hazmat team to come and charge her $2000 for “decontamination”.
The amount of deadly deadly mercury in one of those is about a pinhead, according to the earlier thread.
Manufacturers of these bulbs will be attacked like the makers of polluting gasoline additives; a government edict, but no quarter given in court if it has hair.
.
.
.
.
THOSE PARTY ANIMALS .
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Can’t we buy mercury offsets?
A lot of lawyers got rich off asbestos. I’m sure they’re gonna line up for this one.
No big deal to recycle them, if that is indicated. We recycle a whole lot of stuff here, and it’s just a question of putting it in bins and out to the curb.
There are also provisions for recycling in most of the local transfer stations or dumps.
Cardboard, plastic, glass, batteries, tires, and now light bulbs. No big deal.
I think disrupting the enviro-wack jobs will be more fun. I'm thinking about standing at the door with a petition to ban dihydroxide (water). Pen & Teller did that at some enviro nut rally, told them it was in rain, it was used for nuclear energy, etc. I'm going to add that if we ban it the troops will have to leave Iraq.
Wal*Mart is doing us a big favor buy pushing these things at low low cost (3 for $7.50), but they need to man-up and provide a recycling drop for the used ones and, especially, there must be education.
The manufacturers need to place greater stress (a snazzy logo and slogan) on the need to treat them as eWaste to be carefully recycled.
But the lights are great. We’re ramping up their use all over the house.
Incandescents waste 90% of their power as heat. To me, that’s not logical.
It is in the winter.
When you already are the Mad Hater you don't worry about becoming the Mad Hatter.
If they hate it, tell them to build us white LED room lights.
He lives in California. He could just throw them in the ocean if he wants to be environmentally sensitive and doesn't want them in a landfill.
Don't be so simple. Not even in winter is it logical if your heating fuel is cheaper than your electricity per unit of heat produced. And if those lamps are high in the room, or sealed in a fixture, you won't profit from the wasted heat anyway.
Scientists are working feverishly on doing just that.
I believe these bulbs also contain cadmium?
So. Your usual sense of humor is visiting friends tonight?
When I was a girl, my mother got her light bulbs from the power and light. About twice a year she took the old ones in and got replacements. Maybe that was a hold over of WWII rationing.
*whew!*
Thanks for posting that.
I dropped and broke one in the upstairs bathroom a few weeks ago and was feeling a bit worried about going up there ever again.....:))
at least they don’t emit co2 (or do they?)
I have been wondering what was going to come of the mercury in the bulbs...which is why we dont use them, even in miniscule amounts mercury is poison. As a rule, we much prefer incandescent. The reason is the much nicer light, and lack of “frequency” as found in flourescent.
I've got some I'll sell you. I am selling them in 1/2 dozen lots. (Why shouldn't I get in on the scam?)
Probably less than you think. A lot of what is put in the recycle bins ends up in the landfills anyway. It is too expensive to recycle most recyclables. Aluminum cans are worth recycling almost everywhere, newspapers may or may not be, depending on where you live (do they have you separate newsprint from coated paper?), #2 plastic probably is most places, glass may depend on the color.
Thanks, but I think I’ll buy mine at Wal-Mart.
The technology is there to do that--white LED flashlights are all the rage. The only problem is that LEDs don't like 110VAC too well.
Oh, yeah. Just like lead, asbestos, tobacco, and every chemical ever made.
"You knew all along this would kill and maim our women, children, and elderly. And our dogs and cats. But you didn't care! All you wanted were profits! Why didn't you warn us? How were we to know that fluorescent bulbs have had mercury in them for as long as they have existed? We are just stupid morons who know nothing about science, yet you took advantage of us just so you could line your pockets in the name of the environment. We thought we were saving the planet but we were killing our kids! You fooled us. We demand that our lawyers take you for every cent you ever made. We demand that the lawyers make a fortune suing you. We demand that this money be put in a trust fund to care for our maimed children. We don't really care, though, if this money is spent on them. You can waste it for anything you want, just like you did with the tobacco settlements."
Aw. That's cute. You believe that that stuff really gets recycled.
It's a feel smug program, like "carbon offsets"
Don't eat garbage and you won't get sick.
If you mean the flicker some people see in tube fluorescents, the CFLs don't do that. Their frequency is much higher and no one can sense it.
Candles it is. As long as bees are not exploited, and sheep tallow isn’t used...
Here’s the Internet Skeptic’s guide to global warming.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bM1yuRVC2s0
Probably you can get lots of questions to ask from watching this.
I predict lots of mad tea parties in the future.
Does writing bumper stickers come naturally to you? Is this one copyrighted?
Look at yourself in the mirror with lighting from the two different types of bulbs and you will understand why incandescent bulbs are preferred.
If you are male, disregard the preceding.
I use CFL to save energy. But I'm also aware their disposal may be problematic. So when they eventually burn out, I'll just hold onto them until a workable solution is found. Thankfully they are small and shouldn't burn out for several years yet...
Regular price at Home Depot is 4 for 7.97. I’ve picked up 8 packs for $10 on sale. I have been switching over slowly, but in the last couple of years they’ve become really cheap. I don’t do it for the environment, just want to cut my electric bill. Besides, these things last forever. I’ve got 2 bulbs in the garage that I paid $5 bucks apiece for 10 years ago and they’re still working fine. LOL
Alas, we have no Home Depot. I haven’t checked Lowes yet.
I don’t mind looking at myself in the mirror under fluorescent light. I’m a winter.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1802727/posts
Check Wal-Mart, I see plenty of the newfangled bulbs there.
It’s a Washington Post article. Should we even take it seriously?
A month ago, even my pastor was promoting them (”At my next sermon you’ll learn a great way to save money and energy!”), and I’m not in a church known for political or environmental activism.
I do not even have a mirror in the bathroom right now. However, lighting for putting on makeup can easily be solved by getting a makeup mirror.
I believe these bulbs also contain cadmium?
***
Oh, I love Cadmium’s candy eggs! Delicious.
It depends where you live. I think the recycling in Maine and Vermont is real, or at least most of it.
mine burn out all the time, I hate the damn things, I replaced my 22W CFL’s with 25W clear bulbs... 3 watt difference and no mercury...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.