Thursday, November 17, 2011

Warning!!!!

You know those cute little curly bulbs on the market?
The money savers?
The long lasting ones?

CFL's

Do you also know they contain mercury?
as do the long florescent ones?

We did.

What we didn't know was how obnoxious the clean-up is.
We had a bulb break the other night during dinner preparation.
Not sure how to deal with the clean-up and proper disposal,
we headed to the government site on how to do it.

Um... Yeah.
What a nightmare evening we had.

I highly recommend you do the same.
Be prepared.
It isn't pretty.

If you don't follow the directions, you may not have a thoroughly cleaned area.
Think contamination.
Mercury is a heavy metal.
Exposure adds up over time.
It does not leave the body.
The affects can be devastating.

I'm not posting this to scare anyone.
I am posting this to educate.
I don't think most people know how hazardous they are.
I don't think most people know how to properly deal with a break.
I learned the hard way.

I want my kids safe wherever they go.
Please read the US EPA on clean up

and the information on bulbs and recycling 


Tell me what you think.

I know I will be investing in LED lights from now on.
My experience with CFL's are that they don't last as long as the manufacturer claims.
Do you know why?
Because they are not built to be turned on and off, on and off.
The switching of power wears on them and they burn out prematurely.

All these years of practice turning off the lights when not in use
are now the premature death sentence to today's long lasting bulb.


3 comments:

Caroline said...

I knew a bit about them...and that you cannot throw them away...you have to dispose of them properly. Honestly, I don't think that many people even know the risks and probably throw them in the trash nor properly clean them if they break. I don't have any of those lights in my lamps and now I don't ever plan on it! Ay yi yi!

Elena said...

As the wife of an electrician, those damned piggies have tried moving in. And I have sent them packing. Hate them and their deathly pale glow. Now I have proof to ban them for good.

John said...

Very illuminating :), thanks for sharing.

Related Posts with Thumbnails