compact fluorescent lightbulbs

My MIL is always up on what the economy is doing, what bills are being passed etc etc. Mostly from channels like fox news and her circle of friends. I generally find what she and my FIL have to say pretty interesting, but I also know that she can be an over-reactor(spelling?) And make a big deal out of something small. Here is her newest thing

She says one of the last factories that make the regular(incadescent?) Lightbulbs have closed or will be shortly and we will have no choice but to buy the compact fluorescent lightbulbs(CFLs) according to her this will be our only choice for lightbulbs after this year. These CFLs contain mercury(dangerous levels) and require specific treatment when broken and when disposed of. She suggests stocking up on lightbulbs now so we have them in the future and don't have to use the CFLs as they are dangerous especially around children and/or fetuses.

I tried googling but I only have my iphone and its not that easy for looking stuff like this up..takes a lot of time unless I have direct links.

Anybody else hear about this lightbulb switch? What's your opinion on the new CFLs? Are they really dangerous and they(distributors/government/whoever is in charge here) don't want us to know so they're hiding it, or is my MIL freaking out(like she commonly does) over something that's really not that big of a deal? My FIL is backing her up and I respect him for his intelligence(sp?) So I'm not sure what to think.

Up for a debate? Lol. Id love to hear both sides..

 

I've heard that there will be no incandescent lightbulbs. My SIL and her husband are stocking up on the regular ones ... But I haven't heard anything about CFL being dangerous. I certainly hope they're not...

 

Did your SIL say why they're stocking up?

 

Personally this doesn't bother me...I just renovated my kitchen and all the new fixtures are halogen. We'll be using similar ones in our living room soon.

Personally, I don't like the CFL's because the issues with broken bulbs can be a NIGHTMARE (not that everyone ever does the right thing there, but there's a specific clean up process that is supposed to be followed when one breaks, and it's not cheap). Not to mention just regular disposal is a bit of a PITA, especially if you are someone like me who doesn't live near somewhere they can easily be recycled (the irony is that I actually live about a mile from a recycling center, but it's only for household chemicals... not lightbulbs, no glass or plastics either, only things like paint and used motor oil.

Personally, I think with CFL's in particular, everyone has jumped on the WRONG bandwagon. There are other energy efficient options which don't present all of the problems of CFL's, the problem is those options cost a little bit more... and are often hard to find.

 

There are some interesting reads on the following page.
http://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF...bs+and+blood+sugars&pbx=1&fp=50c19bb93350b9ff

 

Basically the same thing you said. That there is some regulation taking effect and incandescent lightbulbs will no longer be produced.

 

We use CFLs, but not everywhere in the house. They don't make sense to us for lights that are quickly turned on and off (closets, bathrooms, and hall lights), but we do use them on the exterior of our house, most of the recessed lights in our kitchen, and a lamp in DD's bedroom, where lights stay on for extended times.

It's my understanding that the amount of mercury in a CFL is quite small. I am not aware of any particular danger caused by the bulbs themselves, but am aware that if they break, a big concern is inhaling mercury vapor, so that if a bulb breaks you need to air out the room (and turn off the HVAC) and be careful with clean-up. This risk seems comparatively small to me; I can't remember the last time we had a light bulb break.

 

Lower wattage bulbs like those you use in your refrigerator and also candelabra bulbs area apparently exempt... for now.

CFL's can be purchased in many configurations. Some are dimmable and others can mimic sunlight. I think older folks who have used incandescents all their lives might be more hesitant to switch. My M.I.L. is the same way. No matter what we tell her, she insists that the CFL's will not fit her lamps, look ugly, are too dim, etc etc.

Almost every light in my house has been replaced with either CFL's or LED's. I like the fact that they run a lot cooler to the touch and they are extremely bright (depending on which ones you buy.)

And they last a long time too unless you turn them on and off all the time. In my basement, I have several light fixtures that are controlled by sensors. The lights come on as it detects motion. I have had to replace a few CFL's because they turn on and off too frequently. I will be replacing them with LED's soon which are more forgiving when it comes to turning them on and off more frequently.

 

I don't like the Idea of using cfl's in reading lights that are used near my kids bed. I like the low watt incandescent lightbulbs that don't "burn" you if touched.

I printed out the directions on how to dispose of a broken CFL! it is extensive and suggests if it gets on furniture or bedding to throw it out!!! Surely they will find a better solution.

 

Wow, well I certainly hope they do! That's ridiculus...how does that make sense? Here..use these bulbs, they're better for you and the enviroment, but you may need to throw out your couch if it breaks...so be prepared for taxes to go up because of the increase in the use of landfills...lol

 

The first LED bulbs came out this year. I expect they will eventually overtake CFLs. They are safe, and last for years.

 

I saw some of those at Sam's Club yesterday (LED lights) but they were $10 EACH! Ugh. No way. I got my six pack of 100 watt (brightness level, not energy usage) CFL's for about $12.
We have used nothing but CFL's in our house for about five years now. Never had one break.

 

CFL's when broken should be handled with the same care as a broken tube type florescent bulb as they both have some nasty stuff in them. We use mostly CFL's in our house because in our case they seem to last much longer than incandescent bulbs even in rooms where the light is frequently turned on and off and they are much cooler to the touch however I've found that if you want a CFL with long life then you better be prepared to pay extra for it because the cheap CFL's don't seem to last any longer than an incandescent. And to be honest with you we haven't seen much of a change in our electric bill since switching to CFL's either. LED's is an option I'm going to look into but the expense of an LED bulb has me shying away at the moment. We've tried halogens and they put out a bunch of light for their size but the ones we used were insanely hot as well which I didn't like.

 

You are all missing the point - which is that they increase you blood sugar levels! http://forums.childrenwithdiabetes.com/showthread.php?t=57773

 

There probably isn't any technology in our homes that is less changed since it's invention than the incandescent bulbs. I don't really understand why people are so attached to them. 200 years seems long enough to me.

 

Who's "so attached to them"? I don't know many people who are... I think that if there was a safe option to go with instead of the incandescent bulbs, then it would be great. Many people would just rather not have to use mercury containing lightbulbs in our houses, which will then be released into the atmosphere down the road (mercury). It's not being attached to the old lightbulbs... it's about not wanting the new crappy lightbulbs in our houses. Big difference.

 

I'm not sure that it has been established that CFLs increase blood sugar levels, though I am aware that a researcher in Canada published a report based on a study of four individuals. I don't know what if any additional research has been done in that regard, but would be interested in seeing it.

 

Has no one considered the more serious ramifications of this?! Without incandescents the easy-bake oven will become EXTINCT!

 

This was my first thought when I started reading this thread!

 

The mercury released during the generation of coal-fired electricity to power incandescent lights is far, far greater than all the mercury potentially released into the atmosphere if all the CFLs where broken.

The amount of mercury released in a broken CFL is not drastically different than that found in a can of tuna.