Energy saving light bulbs 'contain cancer causing chemicals'

telegraph.co.uk ^

[Mama Shawna]

Thank you for the link. Posted it to my facebook page, with an added comment about the mercury content, and that I saw one of these bulbs at the dump, still in the lamp that was being thrown away. How much of this is going on already? I’ll go to kerosene and candles before I buy these crappy ass bulbs. Or just a good old flashlight with those REALLY bright LEDS. Those things are amazing.

[thethirddegree]

I hope Obama uses these to read by.

[FES0844]

Just wondering....how come the sanitation union isn’t up in arms about this?????

[frposty]

Could someone explain the difference in chemical makeup between an ordinary fluorescent light that has been in wide use for more than 50 years and a compact fluorescent light? The chemical makeup of the fluorescent light must include the ballast.

[Cold Heart]

I buy incandescent bulbs for my grand kids:)

[Wonder Warthog]

"I bought a lifetime supply of incandescent bulbs two years ago."

I actually like CFL's, but am adamantly opposed to the "banning" of incandescents. The Feds are usurping authority they do not have by issuing such an edict.

[TheOldLady]

Tough Dog Says "Donate"

Click the Pic

[bgill]

I bought a lifetime supply of incandessent bulbs two years ago.

I don't have that many but did restock my supply last month.

[Fire_on_High]

Same here. Less heat is always a good thing for my preferences, but folks should be able to buy and use the kind they like.

[Fresh Wind]

Electrical smog? WTF?

[supercat]

Could someone explain the difference in chemical makeup between an ordinary fluorescent light that has been in wide use for more than 50 years and a compact fluorescent light?

A 50-year-old fluorescent light fixture would have the ballast encased in a metal box; the fixture itself would likely be made of metal. In case of a critical malfunction the ballast might catch fire, but the metal enclosure would most likely prevent it from igniting anything else. The ballasts 50 years ago didn't often didn't contain any fire-retardant chemicals, but the metal enclosure would mitigate fire risk. Note that such fixtures often had a three-prong cord, with the ground terminal tied to the metal case, to prevent a shock hazard in case a failing ballast developed a short between the live wire and the case.

Newly-manufactured fixtures use electronics which are more energy-efficient than the classic ballast, but are also more prone to exothermic failure. Although some full-sized fixtures may still encase the ballast in metal, many instead rely upon fire-retardant plastics. Although flame retardant plastics are often effective at preventing fires, many of them work by outgassing nasty fire-suppressant chemicals when heated. This would be great if the plastics only outgassed the chemicals in situations where they would otherwise burn. Unfortunately, the plastics will outgas the chemicals (albeit more slowly) when they are heated to a point well short of combustion; some CFL electronics get hot enough to cause such behavior. Not only do the released chemicals pose health risks, but the fact that they've been released can render them ineffective in preventing fires. A lamp which develops a fault which causes it to run very hot for a few months but still work apparently normally could burst into flames if a more critical fault occurs.

It might be logical to require CFLs to shut down or switch to an intermittent mode of operation if they get hot enough to cause outgassing. Unfortunately, that would give CFL's an even worse reputation with regard to reliability.

[frposty]

“difference in chemical makeup between an ordinary fluorescent light and CFL”

Thanks for the informative reply, which is delayed because I was on vacation.

Hadn’t thought of the heat-caused emissions from the plastics in the ballasts. I recall that the old metal-encased ballasts get hot and often need replacing. They could have emissions when hot also, huh?

I still don’t see a reason why the new CFLS are any more harmful to the environment than the old fluorescents.

[supercat]

Hadn’t thought of the heat-caused emissions from the plastics in the ballasts. I recall that the old metal-encased ballasts get hot and often need replacing. They could have emissions when hot also, huh?

Not really. The issue isn't so much the plastic inside the ballasts, but rather the plastic enclosure itself. Metal is a much better conductor of heat than plastic, and so the old metal-cased ballasts didn't get as hot as the newer ones; metal also doesn't generally give off nasty fumes when heated (unless it gets really, really hot).