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Can Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) in your home impact your family's health?

By Carl A

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 09Feb2010 Word count: 555 Viewed: 386 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

The newly available Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) at your local store offers significant energy savings over conventional light bulbs as they require only a fourth of the total energy, and the Energy Star certified CFLs may last you up to seven years. Also, because of their higher efficiency they produce seventy five percent less waste heat, meaning that they are a lot safer to use and operate. CFLs also produce light in a completely different way to conventional bulbs in order to make them energy efficient.

However, there has recently been a buzz about the Mercury which is usually found within CFLs and whether they could potentially have an impact on our health. If this has become a concern for you, then there are a few things that you should know about your CFL.

CFLs contain around five mg of Mercury sealed within the glass tubing that contains the lamp, at atmospheric pressure, the Mercury turns into a silver colored liquid that tends to form into balls, which is how you can recognize it. Mercury is quite a dangerous element, and can be inhaled, absorbed through the skin, or even ingested. It's actually what's known as a neurotoxin, and can cause a variety of symptoms, from insomnia and lassitude, to tremors or even weight loss. However, CFLs only contain a small amount of Mercury, and it is sealed away to prevent it ever being released into the atmosphere when the lamp is switched on.

Mercury is critical within CFLs, as it is the substance that allows the lamps to turn on. It poses no threat to any members of the family, young or old, and can only be a potential hazard if it is not disposed of correctly, or broken and cleared up improperly.

CFLs should always be recycled and not thrown out, as they could pose a threat to the environment if they are left to decompose naturally in the soil. The mercury can get released into the soil, and could potentially contaminate miles of surrounding soil, or even lakes and rivers.

If a CFL gets broken, it's essential that you clean it up correctly, never touch it with your bare hands, only with gloves that are suitable for touching chemicals such as mercury, and will protect your skin from absorbing it, or the glass from cutting you. It's also important that if you have any children, that they are very aware that they should never, under any circumstance, touch or even go near a CFL that has broken, and they know that they should alert you immediately if they find one in the house.

In order to protect yourself further, only place CFLs in the areas specified by your manufacturer in the guidelines you will be given. CFLs should never be placed in locations where heavy vibrations often occur, such as the use of heavy machinery etc. They should also never be used for emergency lighting systems; as such systems need to switch to battery during an emergency.

If you're thinking about switching to CFLs throughout your home in order to be more environmentally friendly, then there is no reason why you shouldn't. CFLs will pose no risk to any member of your family as long as they are used and disposed of in the correct way.

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