Incandescent vs. Fluorescent: Just Where is all that Mercury Going?

April 13th, 2011. By Hunter West

Okay, we all know that those fluorescent bulbs are more efficient than incandescent bulbs. They last longer, and reduce greenhouse gasses.

And everyone is on the bandwagon. Canada starts phasing out incandescent bulbs starting next year. In the US, it’s 2014. Australia led the way in 2007, and the European Union came soon after. 

Here’s the thing. Incandescent light bulbs, as inefficient as they are, don’t contain mercury.

But fluorescents do. 

Okay fine, the mercury is in the bulb and as long as they don’t break… 

Indeed. 

Yes, mercury is a naturally occurring element, just as the inert gas used in the incandescent bulb is also naturally occurring. The difference with mercury is that it’s a neurotoxin that can damage the brain, spinal cord, kidneys and liver through chronic exposure. 

Health Canada says, “Mercury can impair the ability to feel, see, move and taste and can cause numbness and tunnel vision. Long-term exposure can lead to progressively worse symptoms and ultimately personality changes, stupor and in extreme cases, coma or death,” according to Health Canada. 

The regulator goes on to say that recent research suggests even at low levels, mercury can have adverse health impacts on the cardiovascular and immune system. 

Here’s the question. What happens to all these bulbs when they are spent? And what happens if they break en route to a disposal facility? 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that three per cent of the total mercury in discarded fluorescent lamps is released to the atmosphere when they break during transportation to a disposal facility. Other researchers estimate emissions are as high as 17 per cent. 

If a fluorescent bulb ends up in a landfill, the mercury can leech into the surrounding soil or be released into the atmosphere. If it is incinerated, the amount of mercury released into the atmosphere may be higher, according to various sources. 

Fluorescent bulbs contain about five milligrams of mercury—less than that contained in a watch battery, according to experts. Okay. But watch batteries don’t break, or burst. And as more miniature fluorescent bulbs are used the world over to replace the apparently outdated incandescent bulb, what happens to all that mercury that is allowed to escape into the atmosphere, or leech into soil and thus groundwater? 

Did anyone think about that when the move away from incandescent was orchestrated? Will all these bulbs be dealt with responsibly, in a proper facility? How many will literally fall through the cracks and release mercury? 

What of us who are chronic butterfingers, incapable of screwing in a light bulb without losing a few to the floor in the process? Now, we have more to worry about than the shards of glass scattered about. Now there’s mercury all over our kitchen. 

Those of us worried about such things had a choice with the incandescent bulb. But that choice is being taken away, now. And LED bulbs are bloody expensive. You would need a king’s ransom to outfit your house. 

Good luck to us all. As we sit by the soft glow of a miniature fluorescent bulb and bask in the knowledge that while we are increasing efficiency and reducing greenhouse gases, may we avoid thinking about the potential for mercury poisoning, or the legal implications for manufacturers and municipalities. 

If my liver goes south because I was mandated to use mercury-filled fluorescent bulbs, then I say screw the greenhouse gasses.

I’m calling my lawyer…  

Tags: environment, Evironmental Protection Agency, fluorescent bulbs, fluorescent light bulbs, green house gasses, Health Canada, incandescent bulb

This was posted on Wednesday, April 13th, 2011 at 6:15 am and is filed under Defective Products, Emerging Issues, Environment . Feel free to respond, or trackback. Read our comments policy.