Why Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs Are Bad For You & the Environment

When Congress ruled traditional, incandescent light bulbs would be outlawed and replaced with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) by 2012, I was mad. Still am. I won't get into the politics behind this decision, but I would like to type a bit about why I believe CFL's are a poor choice for my household - and yours.

* According to the Irlen Institute (an organization that helps children and adults with processing disorders), almost one quarter of people around the world suffer negative physical effects due to CFLs, including headaches and migraines, fatigue, stomach aches, anxiety, eye strain, and irritability. From my own personal experience, I know this to be true. I remember all too well how sick and depressed I felt every time I walked into the school gym, which had fluorescent lights all across the ceiling.



* CFLs cause glare, and anyone with less than perfect eyesight will suffer especially from this. Elaine Kitchel, in an article published by the American Printing House for the Blind, explains CFLs make the eye work
2 trillion times faster than traditional incandescent lights. She writes:"Not only [are CFLs] uncomfortable for persons with diseased or damaged eyes, there is adequate information available to safely state that blue light, in addition to UV, causes irreparable damage, over time, to the human retina, especially in young children."

* CFLs emit radiation. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) says  of one study: "The results indicate that fluorescent lamps still do not present an acute hazard" due to radiation, but frankly, I'm not comfortable exposing my children to any more radiation than they already get from other sources, including computers, television, and pretty much everything else.

* CFLs give off electromagnetic fields (EMFs), which some scientists link to hyperactivity, depression, and panic attacks.

* They are full of mercury. That's right. The same stuff in old fashioned thermometers. The thermometers they stopped making those because they claimed they were hazardous. If you break a CFL, the mercury spills all over the surrounding area. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): "If you improperly dispose of products with mercury in them, they may break and release mercury vapors which are harmful to human and ecological health." Their website goes on to explain, step by step, how to clean up a broken CFL, including such things as removing all people and pets from the room for 15 minutes, turning off any air circulation systems in the house, putting all parts and dust in a sealed jar or bag, sealing the vacuum bag used to remove stray particles, apparently throwing away any fabric items the debris may have fallen on (since the EPA states such items cannot be safely washed), and checking with your local government to find a legal way to dispose of the sealed debris.Then, "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."

* They must be recycled, due to mercury content. For me, right now, that would mean traveling a half hour to find an appropriate recycling center. What a waste of time and fuel.

* Many critics say CFLs actually leave a higher carbon imprint in the long run because they are energy hogs to produce and recycle. A Danish study by the International Association for Energy-Efficient Lighting (IAEEL) concluded  it took 16 times more energy to produce a CFL than an incandescent light bulb. The results of this study would be even more stunning if it had looked at such things as packaging (which must be heavier to protect against breakage because of the mercury in CFLs), the energy required to dispose of CFLS, and the energy used to recycle their mercury. CFLs apparently also use more energy to operate. Halogen incandescent bulbs are up to 80% more efficient than CFLs!

New Zeland reversed its ban on incandescent light bulbs. Germany restricts the use of fluorescent bulbs in public places and bans them entirely in hospitals. So perhaps there's still hope for America. I do encourage you to write to your representatives in Washington, DC, if you are so inclined (find their contact info here), but in the meantime, what are your alternatives? Using full-spectrum fluorescent bulbs may lower the risk of certain health problems. LEDs, however, are being embraced by a great many. They burn about 50 times as long as the typical incandescent bulb, contain no mercury, and produce almost no heat. I guess that's what we'll be using in my household, unless something better comes along.

Do you hate CFLs? How will you cope when incandescent light bulbs are no longer available?

UPDATE 9/20/10: See this post for more information on this topic.


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1 comment

  1. Thank you!!!! So many people buy everything the media spoon feeds them without researching it!

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