The Dangers of CFL Light Bulbs

CFL, or compact fluorescent light, bulbs are something that energy companies push for people to use to save electricity.
These bulbs produce white light and use little energy. There are also some dangers to CFL light bulbs; studies show that
they emit dangerous UV rays, contain mercury, and contain other cancer-causing chemicals. However, there are
alternatives to CFL bulbs that also use little energy, such as LED lighting.

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs

Compact fluorescent light bulbs are the bulbs that replace incandescent bulbs. They are made like the old large
fluorescent tubes, but are small and look like a spring. They screw into any light socket. The Energy Independence and
Security Act of 2007 ordered the phase-out of incandescent bulbs and recommends the CFL bulbs as their replacement.
The bulbs' glass is lined with a protective phosphor coating that is supposed to prevent the UV rays and mercury from
escaping. Mercury fills the bulb's inside and can leak if the bulb is broken.

UV Rays

A study has shown that CFL bulbs exude high levels of ultraviolet radiation, especially UVC and UVA rays. The UV rays
are so strong that they can actually burn your skin. Researchers say the radiation is enough to cause melanoma skin
cancer and initiate cell death. General Electric says that CFL bulbs do not produce an amount of UV radiation that can be
toxic and that it is far less than the amount you get by being in natural daylight.
All the bulbs that the study tested had a crack in the protective phosphor coating. This crack allowed dangerous UV rays
to escape. When healthy skin cells are exposed to CFL bulbs, they show a decrease in how many new cells they can
create, an increase in the production of reactive oxygen species, and they can't contract collagen as well.

Mercury

CFL bulbs contain mercury which, when you are exposed to it, poses a significant risk of causing cancer. What happens
when one of these bulbs that contains mercury vapor breaks? How do you prevent exposure and clean the mess up? The
Institute for Molecular and Nanoscale Innovation measured the release of mercury vapor from broken CFL bulbs. They
found concentrations near the bulb of up to 800 mcg/m3, which is eight times the average eight-hour occupational
exposure limit allowed by OSHA (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration), which is 100 mcg/m3. The
recommended limit for children is a small 0.2 mcg/m3.
A child who is exposed to a broken CFL bulb will receive 8,000 times the recommended amount of mercury vapor. A
broken bulb releases the mercury vapor over 12 days after it is broken. If you pick up the shards with your bare hands or
leave the shards in a poorly ventilated room, you will experience high exposure.
There is no good solution for cleaning up a broken bulb. Also, once the vapor is hit with the electric current it gives off a
greater number of UV rays, which should be absorbed by the layer of phosphor that coats the insides of the bulbs. But the
twisted shape makes these bulbs more likely to have cracks in the phosphor. This dramatically increases UV/mercury
exposure for anyone in the vicinity. When researchers purchased bulbs from retail stores, they found cracks in almost all
of the bulbs.
CFL bulbs are supposed to be better for the environment. However, the Association of Lighting and Mercury Recyclers
found that 99 percent of CFL bulbs end up in landfills. This creates a mercury build-up leaking into soil and water.

Other Chemicals in CFL Bulbs

When CFL bulbs are turned on, naphthalene and styrene are released. Both of these chemicals have been associated with
causing cancer. Naphthalene has been linked to cancer in animals, and styrene has been termed a likely human
carcinogen. When turned on, an electrical smog develops around the bulb with all these chemicals in it. Then you are
exposed when you sit or stand near them.

CFL light bulb dangers are many. If one breaks or leaks, you can be exposed to mercury. If you turn one on you can be
exposed to UV rays, styrene, and naphthalene. Each of these can poison you or cause cancer through prolonged exposure.
There are other alternatives for lighting that do not involve mercury or UV rays, such as LED lighting. LED stands for
"light-emitting diodes"; these are mercury-free and safer than CFL bulbs.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Using CFLs
While CFLs are gaining in popularity there are both advantages and disadvantages to their use. Decide if the advantages
outweigh the disadvantages, and whether CFLs are right for you.

What are CFLs? CFLs are simply smaller versions of full-sized fluorescent lighting. The only difference other than size is
that the quality of light is much better now than it used to be some time ago. Remember the ghastly white office lighting
that drained everything of color? Today’s fluorescent lighting is much different and hard to tell apart from incandescent
bulbs.

Advantages of CFLs

You hear about how great CFLs are, but do you know why? To me the most compelling reason to use them is energy
efficiency.

 CFLs are up to four times more efficient than incandescent bulbs. You can replace a 100 watt incandescent bulb
with a 22 watt CFL for the same amount of light as CFLs use 50 - 80% less energy than incandescent lights.
 While initially they may cost more, CFLs are less expensive in the long run as they last much longer than
incandescent bulbs. And since CFLs use 1/3 the electricity and last up to 10 times as long as incandescent bulbs,
they are much less expensive to operate. You will see a noticeable change in your electricity bills once you
change over to CFLs.
 You can do your part in reducing carbon emissions by changing over to CFLs. Just one bulb can reduce a half-ton
of CO2 out of the atmosphere over the life of the bulb.
 CFLs are highly versatile and can be used in any setting that you would normally use incandescent bulbs. They
come in enough shapes and sizes that you can use them for recessed fixtures, table lamps, track lighting, or
ceiling lighting. 3-way CFLs and CFLs that work with dimmers are also now available.

Disadvantages of CFLs

Unfortunately, CFLs have their share of disadvantages and limitations. Most of them stem from the fact that not every
bulb is suitable for every job, so it is more a matter of finding the right match. The only real disadvantage as far as I can
see is the mercury content.

 While CFLs are supposed to last about 10,000 hours, turning them on and off too frequently can reduce that
lifetime substantially. They are unsuitable for places where you would turn on the light only briefly. These bulbs
should be used only where they will be left on for a while without being turned on and off frequently.
 While you can buy CFLs for use with dimmer switches, be aware that not all CFLs can be used with them. Check
the package before using. A regular CFL not meant to be used with a dimmer switch can burn out quickly. The
same applies to using CFLs with timers.
 CFLs when used outdoors need to be covered and protected from the elements. They are also sensitive to
temperature, and low temperatures can cause lower light levels. Check the package for suitability for outdoor
use.
 CFLs are not suitable for focused or spot lights or where narrow beams of light are required. They are meant
only for ambient light.
 Maybe the most alarming thing for environmentally conscious consumers is the presence of mercury in CFLs.
Mercury is a toxic metal, and while it doesn't pose any danger when the bulb is being used, it may be released if
the bulb is broken, or if disposed incorrectly. These bulbs need to be disposed off very carefully. See here for
instructions on how to dispose of CFLs responsibly.
How CFL Bulbs Work
Benefits of CFL Bulbs
The benefits of CFLs have been grabbing headlines for the last two to three years. Indeed, if you were to focus only on
the buzz surrounding CFLs, you might think that changing out your incandescent bulbs in favor of their spiral cousins
would be a complete no-brainer. As we'll see later, CFLs do present some challenges and concerns. But their benefits are
far more numerous.

First, CFLs use significantly less energy -- 75 percent less energy than incandescent light bulbs. That means CFLs require
less wattage to produce an equivalent amount of light. For example, you could use a 20-watt CFL and enjoy the same
amount of light as a 75-watt incandescent. If every home in America made one such swap, enough energy would be saved
in one year to light more than 3 million homes [source: ENERGY STAR].

Of course, if you're using less energy, your energy costs are going to go down. Replacing a standard 60-watt bulb with a
13-watt CFL can save a single household $30 in energy costs over the life of the bulb [source: General Electric]. Even
with the higher price tag of CFLs -- you'll pay $2 to $4 for a CFL versus 30 to 40 cents for a typical incandescent bulb --
they still save you money. That's because CFLs last a long time. In some tests, they burned brightly for 10,000 hours,
whereas standard bulbs burned for just 800 to 1,500 hours [source: Johnson].

The environment comes out ahead, too. A good deal of electricity coming from coal-fired power plants gets directed to
the lamps and light fixtures inside your house. If you're saving energy by using CFLs, then you're pulling less electricity
from the power grid. This reduces the amount of coal that must be burned, which reduces emissions of greenhouse gases.
In a single year, the use of CFLs over incandescent bulbs removes as much greenhouse gas pollution as taking 2 million
cars off the road [source: ENERGY STAR].

These would be dubious benefits if CFLs didn't perform well or couldn't be used in many applications, but they are, in
fact, quite versatile. Several manufacturers make compact fluorescent light bulbs that can be used with dimmer switches
and in three-way lamps. And many CFL bulbs can be used outdoors as long as the fixture is enclosed. Most importantly,
they give off good light. In a 2007 study conducted by Popular Mechanics, CFLs burned almost as bright and produced a
better quality light than a 75-watt incandescent bulb [source: Masamitsu].

CFLs are not worry-free, however. Up next, we'll look at the biggest worry -- an element toxic to living things.

Now for the Bad: Drawbacks of CFL Bulbs

Compact fluorescent light bulbs may be versatile, but they do have a few issues that put people off. First, they deliver
their best results when left on for 15 minutes or longer. Switching CFLs on and off will shorten their life and may
decrease their efficiency, mainly because the excitation of the gases and of the fluorescent coating take some exposure to
an electric current to reach an optimal level. CFLs are also inefficient in enclosed, recessed fixtures (too hot) and in the
fixtures of garage-door openers (too much vibration). Finally, CFL bulbs can, in rare cases, interfere with electronic
equipment. This interference is caused by infrared (IR) light, which CFLs produce and which IR readers can interpret as a
signal.

How to Dispose of CFLs Responsibly

CFLs are popular with buyers because they are inexpensive and last for a considerable amount of time, with an average
life span of about 5.5 years. They also consume less energy, helping us save money and the planet all at once.

There is one small catch however: CFLs contain a small amount of mercury. That means that they should be handled and
disposed of properly as you do not want to dump toxins in your trash. Some states have made it illegal to do so for that
very reason. So, what should you do when a bulb burns out?

Contact Your Trash Pickup Service:

Contact the company that picks up your trash. Ask them if they have a program for picking up toxic or
hazardous household waste. Most companies do not pick up such waste on a weekly basis, so you might have to
store your bulbs till such time as they do.
How Light Emitting Diodes Work
LED Light Bulbs vs. Incandescents and Fluorescents
For decades, 100-watt incandescent light bulbs have lit up hallways and bedrooms; 60-watt incandescents have shone
softer light from reading lamps and closets. But incandescent lights have some problems. They're inefficient, wasting lots
of energy as heat, and have shorter lifespans than fluorescent lamps. Recently, compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs have
become popular alternatives to incandescent bulbs thanks to lower power consumption. Where incandescent lights last an
average of around 1,000 hours, CFLs can last 8,000 hours. Unfortunately, CFLs contain toxic mercury that makes them
potentially hazardous and a pain to dispose of [source: Design Recyle Inc].

Enter the LED light bulb. LEDs offer the advantages of CFLs -- lower power consumption and longer lifetimes -- without
the downside of toxic mercury. For example, a 60-watt incandescent light bulb draws more than $300 worth of electricity
per year and provides about 800 lumens of light; an equivalent compact fluorescent uses less than 15 watts and costs only
about $75 of electricity per year. LED bulbs are even better, drawing less than 8 watts of power, costing about $30 per
year, and lasting 50,000 hours or longer [source: Design Recyle Inc]. There are only 8,760 hours in a whole year --
imagine how long an LED bulb would last in the average home!

That makes LEDs sound pretty great -- and they are -- but there's a reason incandescent and compact fluorescent bulbs are
still around. LED bulbs present a high up-front cost compared to other bulbs. Incandescent bulbs sell in packages for only
a few bucks. As of mid-2011, Sewell's EvoLux LED bulbs sold for more than $70 apiece! However, because of their
longer life spans and dramatically lower power usage, LED bulbs make up for the high barrier of entry. Since there's no
toxic mercury in an LED, they're also easier and cheaper to dispose of than CFLs. And since LEDs can be built to light up
in a variety of colors, they don't need filters like other bulbs.

LED lighting obviously isn't perfect yet. In addition to the high cost barrier, LEDs are vulnerable to high temperatures. If
LED circuitry gets too hot, more current will pass through the junction mentioned earlier in this article. When too much
current courses through the junction, it will cause irreversible burn-out often called LED meltdown [source: Fun-LED-
Light].

LEDs and fluorescents put off "cool" or bluish light compared to the "warm," yellowish light typical of incandescent
bulbs. The difference in lighting types can take some adjustment, but LEDs obviously offer numerous advantages over
incandescents. LEDs are even easy to dim and are perfect for encouraging plant growth, since they efficiently put off tons
of light without producing heat that could potentially be damaging to plant life.