Inert gas In food packaging, inert gases are used as a passive preservative, in contrast to active preservatives like sodium benzoate (an antimicrobial) or BHT (an antioxidant). Historical documents may also be stored under an inert gas to avoid degradation. For example, the original documents of the U.S. Constitution is stored under humidified argon. Helium was previously used, but it was less suitable because it diffuses out of the case more quickly than argon. Inert gases are often used in the chemical industry. In a chemical manufacturing plant, reactions can be conducted under inert gas to minimize fire hazards or unwanted reactions.
Phase-out of incandescent light bulbs less than 100 watts, nightlights and shatter resistant bulbs. This effectively banned the manufacturing or importing of most incandescent bulbs of that time. The timeline for these standards was to start in January 2012. By 2020, a second tier of restrictions would become effective, which require all general-purpose bulbs to produce at least 45 lumens per watt (similar to current CFLs). The United States Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star program in March 2008 established rules for labeling lamps that meet a set of standards for efficiency, starting time, life expectancy, color, and consistency of performance. The intent of the program