About Fluorescent Light Bulbs
CBS evening news associate producer Michelle Peltier posts a fact sheet to go along with reporter Daniel Sieberg's Evening News piece on the growing popularity of fluorescent bulbs.
What's in a Name
The biggest hurdle for CFLs, or Compact Fluorescent Lights, probably comes from its middle name. Just the words "fluorescent lighting" makes people think of hospitals and school rooms and work. People do not want their homes to remind them of long institutional hallways overhung with dim, flickering tubes of cold, flat light.
"But that's not how it is anymore!" say proponents of the new bulbs, and for the most part, they're right. The new fluorescents turn on immediately when you flip the switch and cast a bright, steady glow. I bought one for my bedside reading lamp and haven't noticed any difference in the light at all. But when I considered replacing the globes in my bathroom, I realized that I still have my own prejudices about seeing my first-thing-in-the-morning reflection lit up by eight cold fluorescent bulbs.
Video: First Impressions Matter
The next battleground for these groundbreaking bulbs comes in the shopping aisle itself. The new bulbs may stay cooler than the traditional ones, but they take a little time to warm up to. Once you get past the whimsical shape there's still a dose of sticker shock to overcome. In the long run these little gadgets are huge money savers, but a tired mom with two cranky kids in the cart is going to be hard pressed to stop and calculate a five-year amortization of her light bulb purchase.
Shoppers in the Wal-Mart we visited barely even seemed to notice that they had a choice, strolling right past the prominently displayed CFLs – seemingly unimpressed by the attractive green packaging and educational displays. Wal-Mart has pledged to sell 100 million of these cost-cutters to its budget conscious customers, but the customers we saw walked straight to what they already knew. "They look funny," said one shopper about the CFLs and she has a point, but when there's money on the line (not to mention melting ice shelves), can we really afford to be sentimental about the appearance of our light bulbs?
Are they Safe?
So one you get over their funky shape and the fact that their name reminds you of your cubicle, are there any other legitimate reasons not to upgrade your next blown-out bulb? Fluorescent lights contain mercury. The element is an essential ingredient in the CFL recipe and it's a big part of what makes the bulbs so efficient. The good thing is that they don't contain much…an average of 5 milligrams or the amount that would fit on the tip of a ball point pen. Not even a little bit of this poisonous substance is released during normal use of a bulb, but manufacturers do include warnings to be careful when installing or removing one from its socket. If one breaks, you should treat it just like you would a broken thermometer…sweep up the particles, wipe down the area with a damp paper towel and throw everything away in a sealed plastic baggie. Old bulbs can be thrown away with the regular trash (again in a sealed plastic bag) but they should never be incinerated.
In the end, a CFL's mercury content still doesn't outweigh its benefits. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency even points out that a coal-fired power plant emits 13.6 milligrams of mercury to produce the electricity required to use an incandescent bulb, compared to only 3.3mg for a CFL.
Patriotism
So looking at the big picture, one of the most compelling arguments for energy-saving technology is the challenge to free ourselves from a dependence on foreign oil. This reliance has burdened our budget, hindered our political independence and even started a war or two. So isn't it obvious that screwing in a CFL is just as patriotic an act as saluting our flag? It probably would be if the bulbs were made here. GE points out that less than 1% of CFLs sold in the U.S. are manufactured in the U.S. – 90% are made in China and the remainder in Japan, Mexico and Europe. As in most parts of our life, civic responsibility is a balancing act, but if this is the argument that ultimately dissuades a consumer from sampling the CFL technology, they should at least be sure to look under their lampshades and check that their old bulbs are all made in America. Just be careful, those old incandescents get awfully hot once they've been on for a while.