Shining a light on hazards of fluorescent bulbs

MSNBC ^ | March 19, 2008 | Alex Johnson

[mesoman7]

When I was in college, we managed to break a mercury barometer. Scattered about 5 lbs of mercury all over the floor. It was stuck in every crack in the linoleum, etc you could imagine. We just swept up as best as possible and dumped it in the trash. Many of us spent 8-12 hours a day, every day, in that room. To the best of my knowledge, we are all still alive and well 30 years later.

Needless to say, I’m not worried about breaking a fluorescent bulb.

[ThePythonicCow]

To be fair, liquid mercury is less troublesome than finely atomized mercury vapor. The cleanup recommended for broken fluorescents seems to focus on not breathing the vapors in the minutes, hours and days after the breakage.

And mercury is cumulative, slow, subtle and indirect in its affects.

I was a fussy eater as a kid and would carefully clean any obvious dirt off the food I ate. My dad would snort and tell me that you got eat a peck of dirt before you die. I would reply "but why hurry the process up?"

Take what precautions your circumstances and temperament allow, live as well as you can, until you're as dead as can be.

[Salamander]

46, here.

[Petronski]

Whooops!

[Secret Agent Man]

I can see at least it isn’t wasted. But 10% efficiency of anything kind of grates on me. Either be a heater, or be a light. It ain’t a fire.

[Smokin' Joe]

No, thankfully, it isn't a fire.

Providing flue air for a fireplace, or even a decent wood stove (unless there is a dedicated inlet) when the temperature outside drops below zero (pretty common in these parts) actually means losing heat in the structure, depending on the efficiency of the stove.

Getting 10% efficiency heat and light? I'll take that.

The furnace will do the rest (or the fireplace when it is relatively warm out).

[treetopsandroofs]

Thank you. I’d been telling my friends the same thing about Snopes but had no citations until now.

[ThePythonicCow]

46

You must have fast eyes, and a consequent dog, whatever that is ;).

[ThePythonicCow]

You’re quite welcome.

[Petruchio]

No CFLs for me, period.

I tried one once, the transformer in the base started on fire. I am not about to risk my home for some greenie’s wet dream.

[Salamander]

Yup, very fast....LOL!

The “dog” thing is from a favorite Blue Oyster Cult song:

“Astronomy”

Clock strikes twelve and moon drops burst
Out at you from their hiding place
Like acid and oil on a madman’s face
His reason tends to fly away

Like lesser birds on the four winds
Like silver scrapes in May
And now the sand’s become a crust
Most of you have gone away, you have gone away

Oh, come Susie, dear, let’s take a walk
Just out there upon the beach
I know you’ll soon be married
And you’ll want to know where winds come from

Well it’s never said at all
On the map that Carrie reads
Behind the clock back there you know
At the Four Winds Bar

Hey, hey
Hey, hey

Four winds at the Four Winds Bar
Two doors locked and windows barred
One door to let to take you in
The other one just mirrors it

Hey, hey
Hey, hey

Uh, hellish glare and inference
The other one’s a duplicate
The queenly flux, eternal light
Or the light that never warms

Yes, the light that never, never warms
Oh, the light that never
Never warms
Never warms
Never warms

The clock strikes twelve and moondrops burst
Out at you from their hiding place
Miss Carrie nurse and Susie dear
Would find themselves at Four Winds Bar

It’s the nexus of the crisis
And the origin of storms
Just the place to hopelessly
Encounter time and then came me...

Hey, hey
Hey, hey

Hey, hey
Hey, hey

Call me Desdinova
Eternal light
These gravely digs of mine
Will surely prove a sight

And don’t forget my doll
Fixe the consequence

Astronomy... a star...
Astronomy... a star...

Astronomy... a star...
Astronomy... a star

Here’s the song/video:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=5V7KPZtcOVQ

[Salamander]

Yup, very fast....LOL!

The “dog” thing is from a favorite Blue Oyster Cult song:

“Astronomy”

Clock strikes twelve and moon drops burst
Out at you from their hiding place
Like acid and oil on a madman’s face
His reason tends to fly away

Like lesser birds on the four winds
Like silver scrapes in May
And now the sand’s become a crust
Most of you have gone away, you have gone away

Oh, come Susie, dear, let’s take a walk
Just out there upon the beach
I know you’ll soon be married
And you’ll want to know where winds come from

Well it’s never said at all
On the map that Carrie reads
Behind the clock back there you know
At the Four Winds Bar

Hey, hey
Hey, hey

Four winds at the Four Winds Bar
Two doors locked and windows barred
One door to let to take you in
The other one just mirrors it

Hey, hey
Hey, hey

Uh, hellish glare and inference
The other one’s a duplicate
The queenly flux, eternal light
Or the light that never warms

Yes, the light that never, never warms
Oh, the light that never
Never warms
Never warms
Never warms

The clock strikes twelve and moondrops burst
Out at you from their hiding place
Miss Carrie nurse and Susie dear
Would find themselves at Four Winds Bar

It’s the nexus of the crisis
And the origin of storms
Just the place to hopelessly
Encounter time and then came me...

Hey, hey
Hey, hey

Hey, hey
Hey, hey

Call me Desdinova
Eternal light
These gravely digs of mine
Will surely prove a sight

~And don’t forget my dog~
~Fixed and consequent~

Astronomy... a star...
Astronomy... a star...

Astronomy... a star...
Astronomy... a star

Here’s the song/video:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=5V7KPZtcOVQ

[stupid lyrics site had it *wrong*]....:-D

[blackbart.223]

" Kept shaded, I don't see the difference in light."

I did see a difference in light even though they were shaded. The other problem I found with them is they tend to make a humming noise I find quite annoying.

I put one in a reading lamp by my bed and it didn't take long for me to pitch the S.O.B. out.

[television is just wrong]

My office has fluroscent lights that hum loudly all day long. I fortunately have a door and windows in my office. With the nice weather, I leave the lights off and use the daylight. I have a desklamp with an incandescent bulb in it I use when needed.

I have been talking to a lot of people with BLUE ey es. I think esp blue eyed people are senistive to this lighting. It is toxic, and can be quite harmful. My father, many years ago told me this lighting causes cancer.

[television is just wrong]

world wide effort to outlaw incandescent bulbs.

they are forcing us back to a third world nation.

[television is just wrong]

it isn’t a choice they are forcing us to buy these. production of incandescents are being phased out.

Guess I’m switching to candles. welcome back to the third world

[blackbart.223]

"Modern CFLs do not."

Bullsh#t. Do you make your living selling them?

[television is just wrong]

the cfl’s make me sick too.

[Petronski]

No. Do you make your living selling incandescents?

[blackbart.223]

"No. Do you make your living selling incandescents?"

No. I make my living as an electronics technician.