'Green' lightbulbs poison workers

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6211261.ece ^ | 5/3/2009 | Michael Sheridan, Foshan

[television is just wrong]

WHEN British consumers are compelled to buy energy-efficient lightbulbs from 2012, they will save up to 5m tons of carbon dioxide a year from being pumped into the atmosphere. In China, however, a heavy environmental price is being paid for the production of “green” lightbulbs in cost-cutting factories. Large numbers of Chinese workers have been poisoned by mercury, which forms part of the compact fluorescent lightbulbs. A surge in foreign demand, set off by a European Union directive making these bulbs compulsory within three years, has also led to the reopening of mercury mines that have ruined the environment. Doctors, regulators, lawyers and courts in China - which supplies two thirds of the compact fluorescent bulbs sold in Britain - are increasingly alert to the potential impacts on public health of an industry that promotes itself as a friend of the earth but depends on highly toxic mercury.

[television is just wrong]

How's that green doing for you?

[Gondring]

Well, it might provide jobs for American firms to clean up the mess after enough Chinese are poisoned.

[Pravious]

Ever broken a light-bulb? Me, too. That’s a good enough reason not to let one of those “green” bulbs anywhere around me – law be damned.

[TCats]

Yep. A Trillion of these things filling up landfills or being ‘Recycled’. Just about as bad as the Ethanol Myth. And these nut-jobs oppose Nuclear.

[cripplecreek]

We made it illegal to produce them here. Now we get a less safe lower quality product from China where they just say screw the environment.

For the sake of disclosure I like the bulbs but the chinese quality is pretty low.

[conservative cat]

Between that and what the battery of a Toyota Prius does to the environment,I am sure glad I am not green!

[Bluebird Singing]

Where are the protesting mothers in this situation? Mercury in fillings & vacinations for their children have resulted in outrage & organized movements & MSM sympathy!!!!

It’s time to start a mothers movement against mercury contaning light bulbs!

[unkus]

The hard core environmentalists don’t care about people.

[JACKRUSSELL]

A ping list dedicated to exposing the quality, safety and security issues of anything “Made in China”.


Please FReepmail me if you would like to be on or off of the list.

(This can be a high volume ping list.)

[SpaceBar]

The hard core environmentalists don’t care about people.

You may have meant that sort of tongue in cheek but it's absolutely true. China has become a giant toxic waste dump so the "greens" can feel good about themselves. Cancer, birth defects, and respiratory illnesses are on a dramatic rise over there.

[dforest]

I was thinking today that a new F*ck The Planet movement needs to be started.

[antiRepublicrat]

I just bought a set of LED bulbs at SAMS. I’ll see how those work out.

[MarkL]

In China, however, a heavy environmental price is being paid for the production of “green” lightbulbs in cost-cutting factories. Large numbers of Chinese workers have been poisoned by mercury, which forms part of the compact fluorescent lightbulbs.

That's OK. There's a lot of money to be made by China off of the dead Chinese workers: They've got those "dead people exhibits" that are touring the country. Heck, I thought it was all just political prisoners... Chris Stigall calls them the "Dead Chinamen in the basement" exhibits!

Mark

[unkus]

I did not say it with tongue in cheek. They are evil.

[The Duke]

I just bought a set of LED bulbs at SAMS. I’ll see how those work out.

I would be very interested in your results with those. :)

[Comparative Advantage]

LOL!

[grey_whiskers]

I bought some at Target. These are some wall-mounted bulbs (shaped like a shield, you stick them to the wall). The light is bright but the quality has been hit-and-miss.

Some of them died within a couple of weeks.

Cheers!

[ROCKLOBSTER]

the potential impacts on public health of an industry that promotes itself as a friend of the earth but depends on highly toxic mercury.

When they burn out, you could always toss them into the open windows of cars sporting commie bumper stickers.

[GingisK]

China, however, a heavy environmental price is being paid for the production of “green” lightbulbs in cost-cutting factories. Large numbers of Chinese workers have been poisoned by mercury, which forms part of the compact fluorescent lightbulbs.

Chinese people have suffered adverse health affects in almost every case of products manufactured over there. There is no equivalent of OSHA or the EPA in China. Every time you "buy cheap" at WalMart, you vaporize American jobs and quite literally kill Chinese people.

[TXnMA]

What a crock!

Regular long-tube fluorescents contain far more Hg than do compact fluorescents. How often have you heard of workers in standard fluorescent factories being Hg-poisoned?