Skip to main content

Dec Energy Bill - Congress bans incandescent bulbs- But do not drop CFL bulbs

I did hear that the Energy Bill passed in Dec and I was estatic that such a positive bill was passed well before the holidays. Today during my downtime I was very preturbed to read Steve Forbes Article in the latest issue if Forbes (Jan 28th)

" Each CFL bulb contains about 5 milligrams of mercury, a highly toxic and indestructible substance. It's like bulbs with asbestos. Billions of these bulbs will be everywhere. If one drops and breaks, you've got a problem, especially if you have small kids or pets roaming around."

Forbes also asks "if CFLs are so great, why do we need a law to force us to buy 'em?"

While researching this issue I saw this article that Forbes Refers to in his article . Brandy Bridges a resident of Maine was given an estimate of $2000 to clean up the increased mercury levels due to a broken CFL bulb.

The website of EnergyStar gives the following instructions if a CFL breaks:

How should I clean up a broken fluorescent bulb?
The following steps can be performed by the general public:
trash disposal.
􀂃 Note: some states prohibit such trash disposal and
􀂃 Wash your hands after disposing of the bag.
􀂃 First, remove all materials you can without

I have been a supporter of CFl bulbs but I would like to be assured that they are safe and do not have to pay $2000 in case I dropped them by mistake.


Popular posts from this blog

Flying Emirates 232 from Washington Dulles to Dubai - Review

Emirates flies the Airbus A380-800 from Washington DC to Dubai

New Dimensions to Marketing Measurement

The new dimensions of measurements will include the following:

Podcast Listens
VR Views