Light Bulb Hoarding

[Alastair]

It's not quite as simple as that. Coal powered energy production emits mercury directly into the atmosphere so the less energy you use to light your home the less mercury is emitted into the atmosphere as a result. If CFLs are disposed of correctly the mercury isn't such a problem.

 

 

That's a very tenuous connection to excuse the fact that you are accepting mercury into your home when you use CFL bulbs. I wouldn't want a broken one in my home. From the BBC link in the original post on this thread, this...

 

Government advice says that because of the mercury in low energy bulbs, if you break one you should leave the room for 15 minutes, clear up the pieces with rubber gloves, not with a vacuum cleaner, and take them in a sealed bag to your local council. The bulbs should not be thrown in normal waste.

[metalman]

We've got a really big living room and it needs a 150W bulb to illuminate it properly, so we've been stockpiling them as well. We've got the energy-saving ones in the rest of the house but I agree with many of the comments on that BBC story - they take ages to get going and the light isn't good even when they do.

 

Frankly I predict a large increase in the number of people with eye strain as the old bulbs are banned.

[the_rudeboy]

That's a very tenuous connection to excuse the fact that you are accepting mercury into your home when you use CFL bulbs.

We accept hazards everyday, its part of life. The chances of you dying from mercury contamination from a broken CFL are far less than the chances of you dying in a car crash. Are you going to give up the car?

[metalman]

There's a lot more mercury in a thermometer than in a light bulb, but every home used to have one of them. Chances of breaking a light bulb are probably less than breaking a thermometer, I'd have thought.

[julado]

If they are going to ban traditional bulbs then what will I use in my lava lamps....its a combination of the heat and the light that makes it work.....with these new fangled bulbs - those flourescenty things - there will be light but no heat

[priddypix]

I find that halogen floodlights ( the sort meant for outdoors or building sites!) are cheap, bright and so hot you can turn the heating off!

[Alastair]

We accept hazards everyday, its part of life. The chances of you dying from mercury contamination from a broken CFL are far less than the chances of you dying in a car crash. Are you going to give up the car?

 

I accept the possible hazard that my incandescent 150W lightbulb will contribute to global warming.

 

Are you OK with that?

[AJ sheffield]

I accept the possible hazard that my incandescent 150W lightbulb will contribute to global warming.

 

Are you OK with that?

 

Whereas I dont even care that my car is.

[metalman]

In fifty years time old people will gather their children and grandchildren around them, black the house out, and turn on the antique tungsten light bulb they've kept since they were a mere nipper. Then the grandparent will reminisce about the good old days, the grandchildren will stand back in amazement at the bright warm light it produces, and their parents will look at the feeble energy saving bulb they normally use and think 'How did we come to this?'.

[adlinds]

I did have quite a few energy saving light bulbs I was sent through the post by EON and then British Gas. They were fine until I bought some fancy touch light switches off ebay. These turned my energy saving bulbs into mini strobe lights even when turned off so I had to change back to the old style light bulbs.