I love how we're so eco-friendly when it comes to saving a few bucks on electricity.

lets forget about what the manufacturing of these products does to our environment, much less the disposal, or the cost of replacing existing lite sources and disposing the old.  How many people do you really think dispose their flourescents properly?  Right, they get thrown in the trash to leech into the soil.

same goes with battery powered vehicles.  The amount of toxic waste produced by plants manufacturing these batteries is mind boggling.  But if it saves you 5 mpg, I guess its worth it

Originally posted by Rayx0r

IHow many people do you really think dispose their flourescents properly?

To add, no one will recycle them. At the moment, I have only found companies which require you to pay a $2.00 disposal fee per bulb.

China is where the bulbs are made,why mercury,so as we know China is poising their people and rivers because of the way they dispose of the mercury during production.And these bulbs will in up in the land fill because people will not drive 30 miles the properly dispose of these bulbs.So we get mercury in the land fills that in up in under ground water supply's.

And every time you run your vacuum cleaner you spreed the mercury around the house and in the air.Their is no way to get the mercury out of the carpet unless you remove it.Do you remember the fuel additive that California mandated yrs ago that polluted the air and ground.same stuff here.Its just a matter of time.

I looked up the recycling place where I'm suppose to drop these bulbs off at ,, 40 miles from my home.

Tree huggers have control now and thats all their is to it.Get ready their is more coming from them.

Originally posted by Rayx0r

I love how we're so eco-friendly when it comes to saving a few bucks on electricity.

lets forget about what the manufacturing of these products does to our environment, much less the disposal, or the cost of replacing existing lite sources and disposing the old.  How many people do you really think dispose their flourescents properly?  Right, they get thrown in the trash to leech into the soil.

same goes with battery powered vehicles.  The amount of toxic waste produced by plants manufacturing these batteries is mind boggling.  But if it saves you 5 mpg, I guess its worth it

Actually the manufacture, etc. of those bulbs does not, as I showed, do more damage to the environment than the amount caused by the incandescents, which use 4 to 5 times more electricity.

The difference between a CFL and an incandescent is the difference between the worst SUV on the market and a Prius.  And the additional cost?  Doesn't do NEAR the damage generating all that electricity does.

As I quoted, light bulbs use 20% of the household's electricity.  CFLs could cut that down to 5% or less.  

The concept that this is somehow made up by some mythical pollution is absurd.  No scientific study has concluded this, no research has suggested this, no one except gullable people willing to believe anything would think this. 

If you actually think this is true, you have to believe that homeopathics cure all diseases including cancer, crystals really make your water pure, and that there are alligators in the New York sewers, because they're all as plausable as this nonsense that you're repeating. 

Suddenly the same people who are complaining that we're running on a nanny culture, we're excessively paranoid, and that we're hysterical about the dangers of DDT and contaminated fish are suddenly crying wolf about levels of mercury that are provably, demonstrably safe.  There will be invisible mercury particles in your carpet.  How much?  One atom?  Maybe a thousand? Oh dears, oh noes.

No one thinks this is a dangerous level.  There's mercury in the air your breathing right now.  This very second, you are inhaling mercury.  Breath in.  Can you taste it?  It's there, I assure you.  There's too much coal burned in this country for it not to be (and coal has a lot of mercury, far, far more than CFLs). 

When the Bush administration refused to cut mercury levels and loosened restrictions, you poo poohed.  Oh, it's not dangerous. 
 

Suddenly, now that we're talking about residue that will give you levels of exposure tens or hundreds of times lower than those, and we're all going to die of mercury poisoning. 

I'm just asking for a little consistency here, folks.  If the Bush administration's lack of restrictions on mercury in the air are fine, don't complain about exposure to a small FRACTION of that.   Residue from years later?  Don't make me laugh.  You can probably find a few atoms of plutonium in there too, doesn't mean you'll die of radiation poisoning. 

It's perfectly, utterly, 100% safe.   And that, really, is that. 

There's no possible way this is a realistic goal.  Flourescent lights are not a suitable replacement for incandescent in most applications where a lighting element is required.  For example, automotive headlights, theatrical lighting, or any sort of lighting that requires a variable light output or fast "blink" capability cannot use a flourescent element.  Plus there are all the safety lights, worklights, lights from old equipment, etc. that cannot or do not possess a flourescent alternative.

So if these energy saving folks haven't figured it out already, they soon will figure out that it is impossible to eliminate all incandescent lighting, because incandescent light has certain unique properties that flourescent lights can never duplicate.  Likewise, the elements that create incandescent light have certain properties that are uniquely suited to many common applications; properties that flourescent light can never duplicate.

dorsdnt the wolrd end in 2012 so how can this have an effect on us...really...someone tell me lol - kfrak she woke me up to earlyy   omg!!!!!!!

Originally posted by deviliscious

There is no way they can force people to use fluorescent bulbs.  My friend with Epilepsy had all flourescent bulbs removed from her home because they were causing seizures, though this is rare it still happens and there is no way they can force her to use them legally. I actually called her and discussed this and she said if they ever tried she would sue them!  It is listed under possible seizure trggers:

www.epilepsy.org.uk/info/photo_other.html

Thank You!!!!

I cannot stand fluorescent bulbs of any sort.  They drive me nuts.  I've always felt like they "flicker" when they're on and they make my eyes go insane.

It's bad too.  To the point where when I walk into some stores that use lots of fluorescent lights I literally have to leave.  I've actually been in some fluorescent lighting that has triggered me getting a headache.

Regular light bulbs give off a warm constant glow.  I do not notice any flicker and they don't bother my eyes one bit.

This is complete b.s. if it comes true.  Just another example of the government and nanny state over stepping it's original powers.  Now they're going to tell us what kind of light bulbs we're allowed to buy???

Now now Gnome, i'm sure they'll let you purchase a permit for a nominal fee.

The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) passed back in August to change the lead standard for all children's products, from clothes to toys.

your local thrift store is going out of business of February 10.everything that  that is used  has to be tested before if can be sold.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqKjJgdUZ3E

say good by to good will.

Originally posted by Teala

dorsdnt the wolrd end in 2012 so how can this have an effect on us...really...someone tell me lol - kfrak she woke me up to earlyy   omg!!!!!!!

Yes, I clearly state in the last sentence of my post that the world ends in 2012 (this is no secret, everyone knows this).  So we have nothing to worry about.  The end is nigh.  Don't fret over this issue of fluorescent lights, be happy.

But as I also stated, Australians must switch to Fluorescent bulbs by next year.  So if you're Australian, the end of the world can't come quickly enough.  You really have something to worry about.  Unlike the rest of us.

---

Originally posted by Sharajat

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Originally posted by Dekron

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Originally posted by Sharajat

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Originally posted by Barrikor

 

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Originally posted by daeandor
As to the recommend procedure for cleanup, how are you supposed to seal off a room that is central to the house?  I mean, think of new houses now days, kitchen and breakfast area open to a family room which is open to a central hallway and most likely either a formal dining or living room.  No doors except those into bathrooms, pantries, laundryrooms, and bedrooms.  What if the chandelier breaks?  All those bulbs breaking in a central open area to the house.  What if you have small children?  And what if this happens when the central air is on?
 

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From what I heard, (so it might be wrong), apparently if the room is sealed off and doesn't have windows, you close the door and just don't go in it for 2 days (it's not so great if it's your only bathroom though).
If the room is an opened area in your house, and cannot be sealed off, open every window in the house and come back in 24 hours.
 

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Originally posted by Dekron
Screw the environment. I'm stocking up on incandescent bulbs.

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Actually, you're helping the environment, incandescent are way, way better for the environment than Fluorescents. Fluorescents use a little less electricity of course, but that is far outweighed by the manufacturing and disposal of hazardous that is now being carried out on a massive scale to create lightbulbs that save a tiny amount of electricity...
 
Is electricity bad for the environment?
If you favor hazardous-waste lightbulbs then "Yes"
If you favor electric cars slowly rolling down our roads then "No"
Environmentalist always fail to see the big picture, even when it comes to the environment, sure they do good things here and there, but they are too quick and blindly follow they leaders without thinking , also they are too quick to attack and defend, that's way they often accidentally fight on the wrong side. (Also why they sometimes damage property, failing to see the resources it'll cost the environment to rebuild)
All in all, they probably do make the world a better place, slowly but surely, in a 3 steps forward, 2 steps backward sort of way.

PS: I heard that people might start using these lightbulbs to trow in riots :)
PPS: I also heard that more people will need glasses (a special type), there's some eye problem where people can't see quite as well in florescent light, most of the time eye doctors see it in elementary-school students who are getting bad grades, or getting headaches in school. The problem is that florescent light is really flickering, just faster than normal eyes can detect.

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Basically put, everything in this post is false. 

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Great argument on your part on why it is false. I didn't know "Basically" was a reason.

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*YAWN*
You want me to start on how the post failed?  
First, EPA procedure for cleanup is 15 minutes of airing out, not 24 hours.  So first falsehood, first paragraph.
http://www.epa.gov/mercury/spills/index.htm#fluorescent
Second, lighting is currently at 19% of the world's energy usage.  CFLs cut energy usage by lighting by 75-80%.  So this 'small gain' is actually not so small.  It is also not outweighed by the 'waste' generated by making the bulbs.  Also, they add less mercury to the environment than Incandescents.
On the first PS, throwing glass shards into a riot is far more dangerous than the risk of mercury contamination in an outdoor environment.  Risk is absolutely minimal, risk of glass shards creating serious injury?  Pretty high.  So I guess it's an argument for... plastic light bulbs?  Beats me.  
On the second PS, the 60 Hz issue hasn't been an issue for more than a decade.  They added ballast that entirely solves the problem, flickering far faster than any human can perceive.
 
So yes, it's basically completely false.  And you supporting it?  Completely nuts. 
Do some basic research, really.
 
 
 

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First off, in the first line I said that I "might be wrong". What I said in the first part is only what I heard from other people who happened to have problems with CLF's. Also note that the method that EPA proposes is completely impossible if the room doesn't have a window.

According to your link the EPA got it's information from Maine's Department of Environmental Protection and they link to it as a reference. Here's part of their report.

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Continue ventilating the room for several hours.

...
When a break happens on carpeting, homeowners may consider removing throw rugs or the area of carpet where the breakage occurred as a precaution, particularly if the rug is in an
area frequented by infants, small children or pregnant women.

• Finally, if the carpet is not removed, open the window to the room during the next several times you vacuum the carpet to provide good ventilation.

The next time you replace a lamp, consider putting a drop cloth on the floor so that any accidental breakage can be easily cleaned up. If consumers remain concerned regarding safety, they may consider not utilizing fluorescent lamps in situations where they could easily be broken.

Consumers may also consider avoiding CFL usage in bedrooms or carpeted areas frequented by infants, small children, or pregnant women.

Finally, consider not storing too many used/spent lamps before recycling as that may increase your chances of breakage. Don’t forget to properly recycle your used fluorescent bulbs so they don’t break and put mercury into our environment.

---

So I guess mercury in you house and in the environment isn't a problem...
</sarcasm>

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On the second PS, the 60 Hz issue hasn't been an issue for more than a decade. They added ballast that entirely solves the problem, flickering far faster than any human can perceive.

---

<sarcasm>
Apparently all the people who posted here saying they had problems with florescent light must not have seen any florescent light for ten years... we'd better tell that it's safe to look at now...

You wanted me to do some research? Here it is:

Other problems with CFLs:

Did you know some museums don't like florescent lighting? Apparently it emits too much UV and causes damage to artwork...

The max brightness of CFL's changes with the temperature, win winter your lights might be a bit dimmer...

To be fair:

There are dimmable CFL's, and you can buy them, they don't work the way the manufacturers want the to work yet, so they advertised much. (Can only dim to 10-20% of max brightness before turning off)

You can make any any lightbulb last forever, if you keep it on low wattage and never turn it off and on after putting it in:

Longest-Lasting-Lightbulb: 107 years, still burning.

Originally posted by Draenor

Now now Gnome, i'm sure they'll let you purchase a permit for a nominal fee.

Yeah, I have to be "permitted" to do just about anything these days.  Wasn't this country setup originally for us to permit the government to do things, not the other way around?

And I'm sure if they do permit me to have my incandescent bulbs, it'll probably come with some agreement that they get to tax me every time I turn the damned thing on. 

Originally posted by gnomexxx

Originally posted by Draenor

Now now Gnome, i'm sure they'll let you purchase a permit for a nominal fee.

Yeah, I have to be "permitted" to do just about anything these days.  Wasn't this country setup originally for us to permit the government to do things, not the other way around?

And I'm sure if they do permit me to have my incandescent bulbs, it'll probably come with some agreement that they get to tax me every time I turn the damned thing on. 

I think you need a permit to assign permits...we both know that none of us have permits until the government says that we have a permit (after paying a nominal fee)

You really believe 2012 will happen? All you've got was information on the internet about some Mayan calendar. How can you knowf or sure it will happen.

Originally posted by gbmack

You really believe 2012 will happen? All you've got was information on the internet about some Mayan calendar. How can you knowf or sure it will happen.

Zindaihas said so.and it seems like a good yr to start over.

the flourescent lamp is invented by agapito flores. Pinoy yeah!

the amount of mercury vapour in a 'green' compact flourescent light bulb (CFL) is about 2mg. now mercury is a cumulative poison but this is a very small amount. How small? lets look at some other exposure methods.

WHO regulations limit daily exposure in the workplace to 50 µg/day, so you can be exposed to one CFL worth of mercury every 40 days at work.

If you have a dental filling that is a silvery amalgam, it most likely contains 100x as much mercury as a CFL. It leaches out at about 2-20 µg/day so every 3 years you are at least ingesting the mercury in one CFL or maybe chowing down on ten of them.

Burning coal mobilizes mercury, so if your electricity is from a coal fire plant so you can lower the amount of released mercury by using CFLs.

---

Approximately 0.0234 mg of mercury—plus carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide—releases into the air per 1 kwh of electricity that a coal-fired power plant generates. Over the 7500-hour average range of one CFL, then, a plant will emit 13.16 mg of mercury to sustain a 75-watt incandescent bulb but only 3.51 mg of mercury to sustain a 20-watt CFL (the lightning equivalent of a 75-watt traditional bulb). Even if the mercury contained in a CFL was directly released into the atmosphere, an incandescent would still contribute 4.65 more milligrams of mercury into the environment over its lifetime.

---

It also a vapour in the CFL and mercury is quite volatile, using ventilation to remove 2mg of mercury is very easy.

Yes, people need to be aware that CFLs need to be disposed of safely, this is a simple education issue, like safe disposal of batteries and electronic components.

HM, its a shame the world is supposedly suppose to end 2012.. mmhm, thats right, i said it.

All CFL's are good for is growin pot inside, thats about all. Higher the lumens, better the grow.

Originally posted by Barrikor 

---

 

First off, in the first line I said that I "might be wrong". What I said in the first part is only what I heard from other people who happened to have problems with CLF's. Also note that the method that EPA proposes is completely impossible if the room doesn't have a window.

According to your link the EPA got it's information from Maine's Department of Environmental Protection and they link to it as a reference. Here's part of their report.

No might about it.  Like everything in your post, it was wrong.

 

---

 

Continue ventilating the room for several hours.

...
When a break happens on carpeting, homeowners may consider removing throw rugs or the area of carpet where the breakage occurred as a precaution, particularly if the rug is in an
area frequented by infants, small children or pregnant women.

• Finally, if the carpet is not removed, open the window to the room during the next several times you vacuum the carpet to provide good ventilation.

The next time you replace a lamp, consider putting a drop cloth on the floor so that any accidental breakage can be easily cleaned up. If consumers remain concerned regarding safety, they may consider not utilizing fluorescent lamps in situations where they could easily be broken.

Consumers may also consider avoiding CFL usage in bedrooms or carpeted areas frequented by infants, small children, or pregnant women.

Finally, consider not storing too many used/spent lamps before recycling as that may increase your chances of breakage. Don’t forget to properly recycle your used fluorescent bulbs so they don’t break and put mercury into our environment.

---

 

So I guess mercury in you house and in the environment isn't a problem...
</sarcasm>

In minute quantities?  Yes.  It's in the water you drink, the air you breath, the food you eat.  In very, very trace quantities.   Like the people panicking over cell phone radiation.  

 

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On the second PS, the 60 Hz issue hasn't been an issue for more than a decade. They added ballast that entirely solves the problem, flickering far faster than any human can perceive.

---

 

<sarcasm>
Apparently all the people who posted here saying they had problems with florescent light must not have seen any florescent light for ten years... we'd better tell that it's safe to look at now...

Yeah, we better.  I'd suggest you remove the sarcasm tags and start using the <think> tags, because thinking is obviously way outside your field of expertise.  As is sarcasm, in point of fact.  

Basic fact - CFLs don't noticeably flicker anymore.  It cannot be seen.  Sorry, it's simply true.  People claim that they don't like the light, the same way they claim cell phone towers are giving them migranes.  They don't. 

You wanted me to do some research? Here it is:

Other problems with CFLs:

Did you know some museums don't like florescent lighting? Apparently it emits too much UV and causes damage to artwork...

This just in - we don't live in museums.

The max brightness of CFL's changes with the temperature, win winter your lights might be a bit dimmer...

This just in - We have central air. 

To be fair:

There are dimmable CFL's, and you can buy them, they don't work the way the manufacturers want the to work yet, so they advertised much. (Can only dim to 10-20% of max brightness before turning off)

Not true. 

You can make any any lightbulb last forever, if you keep it on low wattage and never turn it off and on after putting it in:

Longest-Lasting-Lightbulb: 107 years, still burning.

Efficiency blows.  This is 4-5  times the efficiency of a standard incandescent. 

 

Originally posted by nurgles

Yes, people need to be aware that CFLs need to be disposed of safely, this is a simple education issue, like safe disposal of batteries and electronic components.

Id wager that 99% of people dont properly dispose of batteries and electronic coponents. Hell Ive thrown "1" Battery away properly and that was because it was right there at the cellphone stand. thats it.