CFL News:
NATIONAL LIGHTING BUREAU WEIGHS IN ON
MERCURY IN COMPACT FLUORESCENT (CFL) LIGHTING
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 22, 2008
Silver Spring, MD: “There’s so much misinformation about mercury in compact fluorescent (CFL) lighting, American consumers are being discouraged from using them. The overall effect is counterproductive for the nation as a whole. In fact, use of CFLs will result in far less mercury in the environment rather than more.” So says John P. Bachner, communications director of the National Lighting Bureau. Established in 1976, the National Lighting Bureau is an independent lighting information source sponsored by industry, professional societies, trade associations, utilities, and agencies of the federal government.
According to Bachner, “Consumers’ biggest concern is the impact of the mercury vapor that can be released into household air when a CFL is broken. However, even in a small room, the impact on air quality is well below danger levels established by [the Occupational Health and Safety Administration]. In fact, the amount of mercury in a typical CFL is not enough to coat the head of a pin; the average swordfish contains 20 times as much mercury. Besides, when a CFL is broken, most of its mercury adheres to the glass and does not disperse into the air. Reasonable caution is all that’s needed to deal
with the situation. There’s no reason to fear serious, long-term health effects or to call for an emergency-response unit, as some people have done.”
The Environmental Protection Agency’s guidance on cleaning up a broken CFL is available at the National Lighting Bureau website (www.nlb.org/EPA clean-up guidance.doc), as is a well-received white paper – “Recycling Household CFLs” – developed by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA).
Bachner pointed out that CFLs actually reduce the amount of mercury that enters our atmosphere, because they use so much less electricity than ordinary incandescent bulbs. Most of the nation’s electricity is generated by coal-fired power plants; coal combustion releases mercury and other chemicals into the atmosphere. The amount of mercury and other chemicals now being released to the nation’s air to power household incandescent lighting could be reduced by 75% or more “simply by switching to CFLs,” Bachner said. He continued, “The health and environmental risks posed by replacing incandescent bulbs with CFLs is far, far less than the health and environmental risks posed by not replacing incandescent bulbs with CFLs.”
Although the amount of mercury in the typical CFL can be characterized as tiny, “we still need to be concerned about the proper disposal and recycling of CFLs,” Bachner said, noting that America’s lighting-product manufacturers are taking a lead role in addressing the issue. He said they are continuing to work on an energy-efficient replacement for mercury and, in the interim, those manufacturers that are members of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) have agreed to strictly limit the mercury content of their CFL products. He noted that CFL recycling technology already is being used, and that the only real CFL-recycling challenge now is making disposal easier for
consumers. The National Lighting Bureau is one of several organizations now working to develop CFL collection centers in every U.S. community. IKEA stores have already agreed to participate, and the U.S. Postal Service is starting an experimental program. “We expect that steadily more retailers will want to lend a hand, because CFL recycling connects them to a worthwhile, ‘green’ cause while also building consumer traffic,” Bachner said. He added that “time is on our side, given that the average CFL installed today will not need to be recycled for seven to ten years, CFLs can last that long.” He commented that, during the same 7-to-10-year period, consumers might have to replace an incandescent bulb as many as five times or more. “So more reliance on CFLs would also result in fewer manufacturing resources being used, including electricity, and less burden on the nation’s waste stream,” he said.
More information about the National Lighting Bureau is available at its website (www.nlb.org) or by contacting the National Lighting Bureau Communications Office
(8811 Colesville Road, Suite G106, Silver Spring, MD 20910; tel. 301/587-9572; fax 301/589-2017; e-mail info@nlb.org).
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