Our Voltimum Experts answer your questions on a daily basis in our Technical Expertise area. This one, on whether low energy lamps are hazardous, is answered by OSRAM:
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Question: With government departments now urging local building control to implement low energy lighting to new builds or major refurbishments, it has urged me to ask this question regarding compact fluorescent lamps - how much money does it take to use a compact fluorescent lamp?
I think it goes like so: It costs about £5.00 for the lamp and labour - unless you break the lamp. Then you could be looking at a cost of well over £1000 to clean up the 5mg+ of mercury that would be spilt in the room and which would immediately raises mercury contamination high enough to cause the building to be sealed up, etc.
These low energy lamps are not quite what they seem it would appear. And, if they become 'compulsory', then the waste problem seems, well, large even if you don't break them. Low energy lamps contain about 5 - 15 mg of mercury, a highly toxic heavy metal. Mercury is a rated as highly toxic by ingestion, inhalation, and by skin absorption, and is a cumulative poison like lead. However the metal itself has low chemical reactivity, so, of your options for poisoning yourself with mercury, inhalation of the vapour is probably the worst. OK, so this is a green option for reducing energy, but it is surely hazardous to the extreme in case of accidental breakage and, of course, disposal.
Answer: No!
All fluorescent light sources such as linear lamps or CFLs (energy saving) contain mercury. Almost all offices/schools are lit with fluorescent tubes and occasionally they break through external forces. The mercury content is less then 5mg - less than that contained on a pinhead. The accepted way of dealing with mercury spillage is to sprinkle sulphur powder that will combine with Hg to form mercury sulphide. The resulting residue can easily be swept away and disposed of at a licensed site. The biggest danger is from broken glass. It does not cost £1000, or anywhere near that.
A power station produces far more mercury when burning coal; there is also more mercury in a thermometer.
It's like saying smoking contributes to global warming!
And Voltimum Editor James Hunt says: In any case, the costs to the global community, nature and worldwide environment are going to be vastly greater if serious measures are not made very soon to tackle global warming. Fitting low energy lamps is a fast and effective way of helping achieve this!
To see many more Q & A in Voltimum UK’s Experts Area, please click on the link:
http://www.voltimum.co.uk/consult.php?universe=consult.index.questions
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Related contacts
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OSRAM
Osram House, Waterside Drive,
Langley, Berkshire SL3 6EZ
Tel: 01744 812221
Fax: 01744 831900
Email: voltimum@osram.co.uk
Web: www.osram.co.uk |
OSRAM
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Source: OSRAM & James Hunt |
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