tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143843667296816868.post5241237926149073082..comments2024-03-27T03:11:58.288-04:00Comments on Kitchen and Residential Design: Break a CFL? Don't panic.Paul Anaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05777487147630173644noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143843667296816868.post-46076279627757453492010-02-09T18:19:30.153-05:002010-02-09T18:19:30.153-05:00What are you considering a "high" level ...What are you considering a "high" level of mercury vapor? As a naturally-occurring element, mercury is impossible to avoid. As is lead, arsenic and any other toxic substance you can name. The key to toxicity is dose, not the existence of something. Finding something potentially harmful doesn't make a situation harmful. Water, table salt, sunlight, spices and herbs are also toxic in the right dose. So rather than upsetting people and wasting research dollars finding "toxins" why not devote those resources to discerning tolerable versus intolerable levels of exposure?Paul Anaterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05777487147630173644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143843667296816868.post-451614265444126782010-02-09T14:30:44.583-05:002010-02-09T14:30:44.583-05:00I have read some research done by Stanford univers...I have read some research done by Stanford university indicating that the levels of mercury vapor rose and fell over a two month peiod after having broken the bulb. this was after the researchers cleaned up the broken CFL according to EPA guidlines, and the research indicates that whenever the spot where the CFL broke is "agitated" by someone walking over it or vaccuming the area the vapors are released. the amount of vapors are high at the child level of about one foot, when agitated, this leads me to feel unsafe ever letting a child crawl across a floor that has evr had a CFL broken on it. Anyone can look up the research if they so wish.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143843667296816868.post-83244871559658059822009-04-25T20:39:00.000-04:002009-04-25T20:39:00.000-04:00Hey Lisa, thanks for your comment. I realize that ...Hey Lisa, thanks for your comment. I realize that the guidelines you listed weren't yours and I still maintain that they could only have been written by a personal injury attorney. Clearly, those guidelines are written to avoid a lawsuit and the're intended for a scientifically illiterate populace. Sadly, this includes most people. Regardless what the "official policies" are, a familiarity with chemistry is all it takes to understand that the mercury in a CFL poses little threat. The glass that encloses those 4mg of mercury pose a far greater danger. <br /><br />I cannot understand why someone who's spooked by the mercury content in a CFL would bring them into her home in the first place. CFLs aren't dangerous. They are a terrific way to use less electricity though. <br /><br />Thanks for your piece in the Huffpo by the way. You gave me a topic I wouln't have covered otherwise. Oh wait a minute, I got an e-mail last week from a woman who's afraid that CFLs emit harmful gasses. I doubt I could have kept my cool had I used that as a stepping off point to talk about the safety of CFLs.Paul Anaterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05777487147630173644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143843667296816868.post-42579391420531354052009-04-25T16:12:00.000-04:002009-04-25T16:12:00.000-04:00I am Lisa Sharkey who wrote the blog post about CF...I am Lisa Sharkey who wrote the blog post about CFLs about which you refer in this article. I am not the person who wrote the guidelines, those are the actual US Federal Government's official instructions about what to do when a CFL breaks in your home. I think that someone in the government needs to clarify the danger if there is any and improve warning labels, or if there is nothing to worry about at all, then they should modify their instructions for cleanup as such.<br />If you want to see some great green designs go to www.dreaminggreenbook.comUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13364886162865216230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143843667296816868.post-66149341499965951962009-04-24T10:26:00.000-04:002009-04-24T10:26:00.000-04:00Paul, re 'political lobbying' and the 'monies'. ...Paul, re 'political lobbying' and the 'monies'. You can be sure we will never know.mrsbenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13490065292054880863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143843667296816868.post-71337943770933834512009-04-24T09:37:00.000-04:002009-04-24T09:37:00.000-04:00I changed out my incandescent bulbs for CFLs about...I changed out my incandescent bulbs for CFLs about a year ago and my electric bill really did drop noticeably. The bulbs I use have a yellow cast to them, so they don't feel or look like fluorescent light. I favor their use pretty strongly. With that said, I'd love to know how much money Phillips and GE are spending on political lobbying to enact this switch world wide. Hmmm.Paul Anaterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05777487147630173644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143843667296816868.post-79990582430893243682009-04-24T09:24:00.000-04:002009-04-24T09:24:00.000-04:00Paul, don't know what I dislike more. The CFL lig...Paul, don't know what I dislike more. The CFL lightbulbs or the Politicians that are promoting them. In our Province they actually gave out free CFL's bulbs to every household and spent billions of $$$$$ on Energy Advertising campaigns.....both with TAXPAYERS money. Frankly, educating people to turn off their 'damn' lights when they left a room, wud have been just as effective AND cheaper!!!mrsbenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13490065292054880863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143843667296816868.post-38521338222183836542009-04-23T21:09:00.000-04:002009-04-23T21:09:00.000-04:00Hurray! An actual scientist weighs in.Hurray! An actual <I>scientist</I> weighs in.Paul Anaterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05777487147630173644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143843667296816868.post-41737661076019412262009-04-23T20:53:00.000-04:002009-04-23T20:53:00.000-04:00People probably eat more mercury in fish than they...People probably eat more mercury in fish than they'd ever get from a broken lightbulb. All the fish I've eaten in my lifetime, I'm surprised I'm not running around saying things like "Twinkle, twinkle, little bat! How I wonder what you're at."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143843667296816868.post-56439959531235494222009-04-23T17:56:00.000-04:002009-04-23T17:56:00.000-04:00Thanks!The mercury in CFLs seems to be the chicken...Thanks!The mercury in CFLs seems to be the chicken little cause du jour. I'm not discounting the toxicity of mercury for a second, it's just that people need to calm down already. Toxicity is a matter of how much you're exposed to. If you want to worry about something, worry about the strontium released when coal's burned, it's far more dangerous a substance.Paul Anaterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05777487147630173644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143843667296816868.post-17015892599467645582009-04-23T15:03:00.000-04:002009-04-23T15:03:00.000-04:00Great Post! I remember breaking a thermometer as ...Great Post! I remember breaking a thermometer as a child and having my mother scream at me not to touch the mercury. <br /><br />There are greater amounts of mercury found in old thermostats. Unfortunately, we don't hear much on how to dispose of them properly.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com