Danger from Mercury or fear from Uranus? Compact Fluorescents (Updated)

It seems our esteemed Congressman from Lewisville, Michael Burgess (R-TX-26) wants you to be afraid of compact fluorescent light bulbs. In a move straight out of the Faux News play-book, Burgess showed just how much contempt he has for anyone attempting to affect energy policy by conservation. His original posting - which was debunked by the Sierra Club several days earlier is reproduced here with my comments in red: (Click images for more detail)

Do You Call the EPA to Change Your Light Bulb, Maybe You Should

WASHINGTON, DC, Aug 6 - Written for The Hill's Blog

I feel compelled to educate both Members and the general public about mercury safety issues conspicuously missing from the so called energy bill. [Editor's note: H.R. 3221 was the Energy Bill that Burgess voted against.] Sadly, the Rules Committee decided my amendment was not made in order. But I am not deterred from making certain my amendment language concerning the safety of compact fluorescent light bulbs is known.

Lets go here. Our government has illegally invaded and started a civil war in Iraq; the one who occupies the office of the President has gutted our Constitution and hastily dismantled every environmental, safety, and consumer protection; New Orleans is still not rebuilt; and we must reduce greenhouse gasses quickly to avert global warming's very real and tangible consequences. Please, by all means - lets stomp some ants while the elephants are running loose!

Why, you may ask is this an issue? Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL), admittedly energy efficient and cost effective, do carry a significant risk from mercury, about 5 milligrams per light bulb to be exact.

Yes, Dr. Burgess failed to make his amendment in order. On the House floor, on August 4th, he actually said: "... We now all have these in our offices over in the Longworth Building. I know I found two. I wasn't told that they were being put in the office..." Geez Mike - Can you spare us the drama? RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!! THERE ARE CF Bulbs in the building!!! I WASN'T TOLD!!!

Remember the old mercury thermometers that we all used to use but are no longer on the market? Well, CFLs are the new cause for concern. Luckily, the federal government is actually aware this is a problem, but they are taking their time to rectify the situation.

Remember when you used to practice medicine? The mercury in the picture I posted below was recovered during the renovation of a (here it comes...) Doctor's office - where the old mercury-containing sphygmomanometers were abandoned. Heck, our current doctor still has these things in the office.

I believe the amount of mercury shown was obtained when I cleaned up three of the devices, which literally used to roll around on wheels, and could easily be knocked over. The amount shown is sufficient to manufacture 816,000 CF bulbs!!!

My amendment deals with the timeline that is going to outlaw the incandescent bulb in this country by 2012. That means, for the current time, you will probably be using one of these light bulbs in your home.

JUST ONE? Our modest home takes 36. We haven't used the old-timey bulbs in years.

The problem comes when the light bulbs break. If and when they do, what does the Environmental Protection Agency recommend? It recommends you open the window and leave the room for 15 minutes. Then, put on rubber gloves and bag the broken pieces into two sealed zip-lock bags before you place them in an “outside” trashcan. And when you do vacuum the area, remove the vacuum bag, seal it in double plastic bags, and send it only to a landfill that accepts mercury. This is a pretty onerous burden to put upon the taxpayers of the United States.

Onerous? I would use the word "ridiculous". First, in the 14 years or so that we've been using CF bulbs, not only do I still have the first one - intact, but I've only ever had one that broke in the house. Secondly, what you do Mike, is you just take the damned thing outside if you can, and you let it evaporate. If you break one hot, then yes, you should probably leave the room. And you should probably quit playing hockey in the house. As I'm sure you are aware, it is the long-term accumulated exposure to mercury that causes problems. We get more of our mercury in the form of methylmercury, which is in our fish now because of coal-fired power plants.

My largest concern is where these CFLs are in heavily populated and potentially compromised areas: a hospital nursery, a daycare center, a nursing home with non-ambulatory patients. If you break a compact fluorescent bulb in one of those locations, you are in for big trouble. Imagine the difficulty of attempting to remove 20 children from a nursery quickly and keep them away for 15 minutes. Most hospital nurseries that I worked in don't even have a window to open. So how are they going to comply with those EPA guidelines?

Mike, all of the hospitals and nursing homes I've seen use conventional commercial-grade 4 foot or 8 foot fluorescent tubes, or 2 foot U-tubes for overhead lighting. Recycling is MANDATORY for these tubes which contain 20 milligrams of mercury each. Further, as a frequent traveler, I can tell you that almost all hotels now use CF bulbs. I check. Smart businesses use CFs because they save money. That is something that Republicans can appreciate too.

The fact of the matter is my amendment would have had language that said: no nursery, hospital, or nursing home is compelled to use a compact fluorescent bulb where the population might be vulnerable to exposure.

Ever heard of fiber-optic lighting, or LEDs? Mike, THIS is a fine example of a problem that is easily solved by the free market. Take a look at the picture of the CFs that I posted above. These have a glass containment around the twisted tube. Current fluorescent tube installations already have precautions to prevent shattered tubes. You put a grill around it, or coat it in plastic.

Unfortunately, the House Speaker and House leadership did not want that amendment made in order. Which reminds me, how many politicians does it take to change a light bulb?

Sour grapes? I applaud that you took the time to try to put forth an amendment on something you care about. If you cared about our troops, it would have been nice to put forth an amendment to the defense authorization bill banning the use of Depleted Uranium - a much more dangerous metal.

Look, as easy as you make it for me, I'm not really trying to poke fun at you for this. You have a valid point. CF bulbs do have mercury, which is dangerous. It's a compromise that I wish we didn't have to deal with, but it actually reduces the amount of elemental mercury entering our environment to use CF bulbs. The amount of electricity saved over the lifetime of the bulb, most of which is currently generated by coal burning power plants, actually will reduce the amount of mercury released into the atmosphere. Coal-fired power plants in this country put an estimated 50 TONS of mercury into our atmosphere each year, contaminating our water and food. People absolutely should make every effort to recycle their bulbs at the end of their useful lives, so that all of the mercury can be safely recovered.

What I object to here is the fear-mongering. What could possibly be your motivation for trying to scare people? I haven't checked the campaign finance reports yet, but is there some sort of Incandescent Light Bulb Association PAC sending lobbyists around to your office? I kid, but the politics of FEAR is wrong. If you want to know why, read More Love, No Fear, or the Parable of Two Wolves

For those readers who haven't tried CF bulbs, I strongly encourage you to get a pack and replace your 5 most commonly used bulbs in your house. You will find that today's CF bulbs turn on instantly, and with near full intensity. (If you had tried them 14 years ago, they used to take some time to warm up.) The light is warm and bright, just like a regular bulb, but without all the heat. They're perfect in our Texas summer, when electricity rates are highest (in the nation), and we're paying to cool our air.