Damned if you do…
Studies Warn Of Mercury Risk In Energy-Saving Bulbs
thebostonchannel.com
BOSTON — Energy-saving, spiral fluorescent bulbs that may help in the battle against global warming could pose a health risk to babies, small children and pregnant women, according to two new studies.
The Vermont-based Mercury Policy Project study showed the bulbs pose a threat of mercury poisoning if they break, prompting the federal Environmental Protection Agency and both Massachusetts and Vermont to revise recommendations for where homeowners should use the bulbs. (more…)
Don’t tell this to the folks in my state government as they have actively pursued a ban on all incandescent light bulbs.
Like I have been telling you, ‘global warming’ is not going anywhere anytime soon because there is too much money vested in the idea.
My lovely wife hit the ceiling when I told her about this.
Comment by DarkStar | February 27, 2008
OH, and the batteries in the Hybrid cars are WORSE. The Green movement is nutz.
Comment by DarkStar | February 27, 2008
The nickel-metal hydride batteries used in hybrids is environmentally benign. They’re not NiCads, which do pose a environmental risk with their disposal.
As most U.S. electric energy comes from coal-powered plants, proportionally more Hg is emitted into the atmosphere to power an incandescent bulb than the new CFLs release should one of them break. That’s in addition to inefficiency of incandescents. So… we need to be a little more diligent in the use of the new bulbs, for they may be safely recycled.
What’s scary to me is most of us have spent a lot of time under florescent lighting and I’m sure we’ve all been exposed to a broken florescent bulb or two. The HID bulbs that are popular with a lot of car owners also contain trace elements of mercury vapor.
Comment by MIB | February 27, 2008