Is anyone else here aware that on December 19, 2007 a bill was passed and signed by GWB that bans the use of incandescent light bulbs here in the U.S.? (Source: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=59298) Essentially, by the year 2014 we will no longer be allowed to purchase or use these energy efficient and safe lightbulbs. Instead, we will be required and mandated to use ONLY Compact Flourescent Light Bulbs (CFLBs). The only place in the world these are currently manufactured is in China. I just found this out today! Why is it that this was not reported anywhere? CFLB's are made using mercury. These lightbulbs are so hazardous that the EPA had to post warnings about their use and what to do in case one breaks. (source: http://www.epa.gov/mercury/spills/#fluorescent). These are so lethal when they break they say you have to have everyone in your house evacuate while you don gloves and a mask to clean it up.
So..how does the EPA recommend you clean up a broken CFLB? This steps are taken directly from the EPA website:
Before Clean-up: Air Out the Room
* Have people and pets leave the room, and don't let anyone walk through the breakage area on their way out.
* Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.
* Shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system, if you have one.
Clean-Up Steps for Hard Surfaces
* Carefully scoop up glass pieces and powder using stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
* Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
* Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place towels in the glass jar or plastic bag.
* Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.
Clean-up Steps for Carpeting or Rug
* Carefully pick up glass fragments and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
* Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
* If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum the area where the bulb was broken.
* Remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister), and put the bag or vacuum debris in a sealed plastic bag.
Clean-up Steps for Clothing, Bedding and Other Soft Materials
* If clothing or bedding materials come in direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from inside the bulb that may stick to the fabric, the clothing or bedding should be thrown away. Do not wash such clothing or bedding because mercury fragments in the clothing may contaminate the machine and/or pollute sewage.
* You can, however, wash clothing or other materials that have been exposed to the mercury vapor from a broken CFL, such as the clothing you are wearing when you cleaned up the broken CFL, as long as that clothing has not come into direct contact with the materials from the broken bulb.
* If shoes come into direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from the bulb, wipe them off with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place the towels or wipes in a glass jar or plastic bag for disposal.
Disposal of Clean-up Materials
* Immediately place all clean-up materials outdoors in a trash container or protected area for the next normal trash pickup.
* Wash your hands after disposing of the jars or plastic bags containing clean-up materials.
* Check with your local or state government about disposal requirements in your specific area. Some states do not allow such trash disposal. Instead, they require that broken and unbroken mercury-containing bulbs be taken to a local recycling center.
Future Cleaning of Carpeting or Rug: Air Out the Room During and After Vacuuming
* The next several times you vacuum, shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system and open a window before vacuuming.
* Keep the central heating/air conditioning system shut off and the window open for at least 15 minutes after vacuuming is completed.
So - while we might be conserving energy - the costs for cleaning and disposal far outweigh those savings. How many times have you broken a lightbulb?
Okay...so...how do we dispose of those lightbulbs that just burn out and don't break? You would think that considering how hazardous this material is - we would have some special place to dispose of them right? WRONG! Most states don't have a special recycling location. Here's the EPA's recommendations: (Source: http://www.epa.gov/mercury/spills/#mercuryinhome)
What to Do if You Have Mercury in Your Home
Many people have containers of elemental mercury in their homes left over from science projects or other sources. If you have elemental mercury in your home, you need to exercise extreme caution with it and package it to prevent any leaks or spills. See the next two sections of this page to find how to package, transport and dispose of mercury.
Top of page
Packaging Mercury for Storage and Transportation
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All mercury-containing products or containers of mercury should be placed inside a larger container with a tight fitting lid.
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Kitty litter or oil-absorbent matter should be placed around the product to protect it from breaking or sudden shocks.
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Clearly label storage container as "Mercury - DO NOT OPEN."
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If you must wait for a hazardous waste collection day, store products safely in their original containers with the labels intact, and keep them out of reach of children and pets.
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Transport container to a household hazardous collection center in a cardboard box. Secure them so that they do not tip over. This will minimize shifting or sliding during sudden stops or turns.
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Transport containers in the back of a pick-up truck or in a car trunk. If you must transport in the passenger compartment, make sure there is adequate ventilation.
Recycling and Disposal Options
Many states and local agencies have developed collection/exchange programs for mercury-containing devices, such as thermometers, manometers, and thermostats, and recycling programs for fluorescent light bulbs. Some counties and cities also have household hazardous waste collection programs. For information about these programs, contact your local officials to find out when and where a collection will be held in your area. Earth911 also provides information about local collection programs.Exit EPA Disclaimer For compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) only, The Home Depot launched an in-store CFL recycling program (PDF) (2 pp., 32K, About PDF) at all of its store locations in June 2008.
Households are generally exempt from Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulations that govern the transportation, storage and disposal of hazardous wastes that contain mercury, but small and large businesses and industries are not exempt. Their mercury wastes are governed under EPA’s Land Disposal Restrictions (LDR) Program. EPA has designated some widely generated hazardous wastes, including certain spent batteries, pesticides, mercury-containing equipment and light bulbs, as "universal wastes". The regulations that govern universal wastes include special management provisions intended to facilitate the recycling of such materials. Find more information about how households and businesses can manage, recycle and dispose of fluorescents and other mercury-containing bulbs.
Note that some states and local jurisdictions have elected to pass regulations that are more stringent than the federal hazardous waste regulations. Several states and municipalities do not recognize the exemption for households; others regulate all fluorescent bulbs as hazardous, regardless of their mercury content. For example, Vermont bans all mercury-containing waste from landfills, including mercury-containing waste generated by households. For more information specific to your state, contact your state or local environmental regulatory agency.
So essentially - no one is going to follow all these strict rules just for a light bulb - they're going to end up in the public landfills where EVERYONE can now be exposed through vaporous mercury which is even worse than it's liquid form. Here's what the EPA says about the hazard it poses to the environment from landfills: (source: http://www.epa.gov/mercury/eco.htm)
Fate and Transport and Ecological Effects of Mercury
Mercury in the air may settle into water bodies and affect water quality. This airborne mercury can fall to the ground in raindrops, in dust, or simply due to gravity (known as “air deposition”). After the mercury falls, it can end up in streams, lakes, or estuaries, where it can be transferred to methylmercury through microbial activity. Methylmercury accumulates in fish at levels that may harm the fish and the other animals that eat them. Mercury deposition in a given area depends on mercury emitted from local, regional, national, and international sources. The amount of methylmercury in fish in different waterbodies is a function of a number of factors, including the amount of mercury deposited from the atmosphere, local non-air releases of mercury, naturally occurring mercury in soils, the physical, biological, and chemical properties of different waterbodies and the age, size and types of food the fish eats. This explains why fish from lakes with similar local sources of methylmercury can have significantly different methylmercury concentrations.
Birds and mammals that eat fish are more exposed to methylmercury than any other animals in water ecosystems. Similarly, predators that eat fish-eating animals are at risk. Methylmercury has been found in eagles, otters, and endangered Florida panthers. Analyses conducted for the Mercury Study Report to Congress suggest that some highly-exposed wildlife species are being harmed by methylmercury. Effects of methylmercury exposure on wildlife can include mortality (death), reduced fertility, slower growth and development and abnormal behavior that affects survival, depending on the level of exposure. In addition, research indicates that the endocrine system of fish, which plays an important role in fish development and reproduction, may be altered by the levels of methylmercury found in the environment.
Want to know what this stuff does to humans that are exposed? (Source: http://www.epa.gov/mercury/exposure.htm)
Methylmercury exposure
Outbreaks of methylmercury poisoning have made it clear that adults, children, and developing fetuses are at risk from dietary exposure to methylmercury. During these poisoning outbreaks some mothers with no symptoms of nervous system damage gave birth to infants with severe disabilities and it became clear that the developing nervous system of the fetus may be more vulnerable to methylmercury than is the adult nervous system. Mothers who are exposed to methylmercury and breast-feed their babies may also expose their infant children through their milk.
In 2004 EPA and FDA issued the first-ever joint consumer advice about methylmercury in fish and shellfish. This advice was for women who might become pregnant; women who are pregnant; nursing mothers; and young children. The advisory provides three recommendations for selecting and eating fish or shellfish to ensure that women and young children will receive the benefits of eating fish and shellfish and be confident that they have reduced their exposure to the harmful effects of methylmercury. EPA also hosts a web-based compilation of fish advisories issued by States, tribes, territories and local governments. Fish Consumption Advisories
Elemental mercury exposure
When elemental mercury is spilled or a device containing mercury breaks, the exposed elemental mercury can evaporate and become an invisible, odorless toxic vapor. This is especially true in warm or poorly-ventilated rooms or spaces. Sources of potential exposure to elemental mercury are described below.
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Elemental or metallic mercury is the liquid metal used in thermometers, barometers, and thermostats and other electrical switches. Metallic mercury is often found in school laboratories as well as in thermometers, barometers, switches, thermostats, and other devices found in school science labs.
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It is not uncommon for children to break fever thermometers in their mouths. Mercury that is swallowed in such cases poses low risk comparison to the risk of breathing mercury vapor.
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There are some necklaces imported from Mexico that contain a glass pendant that contains mercury. The mercury-containing pendants can come in various shapes such as hearts, bottles, balls, saber teeth, and chili peppers. If broken, they release metallic mercury to the environment.
Dental amalgam - Mercury is used in dentistry in dental amalgam. Dental amalgam is a direct filling material used in restoring teeth. It is made up of approximately 40-50% mercury, 25% silver and 25-35% a mixture of copper, zinc and tin. Amalgam use is declining because the incidence of dental decay is decreasing and because improved substitute materials are now available for certain applications.
Dental amalgams are considered medical devices and are regulated by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Since the 1990s, FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other government agencies have reviewed the scientific literature looking for links between dental amalgams and health problems. CDC reported in 2001 that there is little evidence that the health of the vast majority of people with dental amalgam is compromised, nor that removing amalgam fillings has a beneficial effect on health. In 2002, FDA published a proposed rule to classify dental amalgam as a class II medical device with special controls. On April 28, 2008, FDA reopened the comment period for that proposed rule. After reviewing all comments, FDA intends to issue a final rule classifying dental amalgam.
Typically, mercury is released into the atmosphere in one of three forms:
* elemental mercury: can travel a range of distances, may remain in the atmosphere up to one year and may travel globally before undergoing transformation
* particle-bound mercury: can fall out of the air over a range of distances
* oxidized mercury (sometimes called ionic or reactive gaseous mercury (RGM)): found predominantly in water-soluble forms, which may be deposited at a range of distances from sources depending on a variety of factors including topographic and meteorologic conditions downwind of a source.
What happens to mercury after it is emitted depends on several factors:
* the form of mercury emitted
* the location of the emission source
* how high above the landscape the mercury is released (e.g., the height of the stack)
* the surrounding terrain
* the weather.
Depending on these factors, atmospheric mercury can be transported over a range of distances before it is deposited, potentially resulting in deposition on local, regional, continental and/or global scales. Mercury that remains in the air for prolonged periods of time and travels across continents is said to be in the "global cycle."
Recent emissions estimates of annual global mercury emissions from all sources, natural and anthropogenic (human-generated), which are highly uncertain, are about 4800-8300 tons per year.
So - do we really want these in our households on a regular basis to be disposed of frequently? If these numbers look like this already - just think of the global impact this is going to have. This is another one of those hair-brained schemes thought up by eco-terrorists and the Democrats where they can't think ahead to see the dangers this is going to pose on all of us...and we weren't even made aware this was happening. Exposure to mercury causes some severe neurological disorders! Why would we want our families potentially exposed to something so lethal?
We need to have this ban repealed before it's too late!
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Contributor's Note
Note: The overall content of this discussion is original that includes appropriately sourced information within the content. Information for use by the public from government websites is not considered authored content (as defined by Qassia). While there is legally authorized public domain content - it is sourced within the content of the original intel (which is acceptable in peer reviewed journals as well).
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