Mercury Ban Considered
UN discusses program to eliminate the use of mercury The United Nations environmental program (UNEP) is pushing forward with its mercury elimination strategy; this proposed mercury phase-out recently upset pharmaceutical companies using thiomersal, a mercury based vaccination preservative with various pharmaceutical patents.
Canada and the US have mostly discontinued using thiomersal in vaccinations because of medical concerns over small amounts of mercury and their effect on children, but its extensively used in Third World countries were medical supply shelf life is of critical concern.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that any product with mercury, even in small amounts be phased out; these would include florescent lighting, batteries, thermometers, thermostats and other products.
The WHO lists mercury as one of the top 10 pollutants of concern and is working with communities around the world to reduce and minimize methylmercury contamination of local waterways and food supplies.
Possible mercury ban raises questions for consumers · What does a global mercury ban mean for North American energy-efficient lighting? · If North America continues implementing their incandescent phase-out and the UNEP institutes a Mercury ban on all consumer products, what choices will consumers have for home lighting? · Should we also be looking at phasing out all lighting products containing any amount of mercury? · Do alternatives to mercury-based energy-efficient lighting exist? · Are the millions CFL's disposed of properly or are they contaminating our landfills with Mercury? · Will North American, especially the Canadian government classify mercury as an "essential evil" because of the billions of dollars they've put into promotion for adoption of CFL's? · What other items in my house contain mercury? Compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), since their introduction have been touted as energy champions and eco-friendly products, many industry proponents insisted the benefits of the energy savings outweighed the negative of the mercury content in compact fluorescent.
Unfortunately, these statements can only be based on a best case scenario where 99% of the bulb's arrived at a reclamation center at the end of their life (unbroken).
Always dispose of all CFL's, batteries, thermostats etc.
through proper disposal facilities (never the dumpster).
Currently North America is implementing their incandescent lighting phase out, with hundred watt incandescent lightbulbs no longer available in most regions of North America as of January 1, 2012, with 75 W and 60 W incandescent light bulbs to be completely phased-out over the next five years.
Consumers now feel forced into using compact fluorescent, even after great debate in the U.
S.
Senate, the US Department of Energy (USDOE) managed to maintain their phase-out schedule.
In Canada, the same phase-out timetable was delayed for one-year minimum by the Harper government after lobbying from various interests, after they themselves had implemented this timetable in 2007.
The LED Solution Breakthroughs in solid-state lighting technology (SSL), especially in LED, now allow energy-efficient replacement of all types of lighting.
Although constantly downplayed as too expensive, current price trends for high brightness LEDs are continually dropping.
Municipal governments across North America are changing their roadway lighting and street lighting to LED amidst rising energy and maintenance costs.
Homeowners can easily change CFLs to mercury free LED bulbs, which use even less energy and can last many times longer.
LED replacement bulbs for halogen lighting such as MR 16 s and GU 10 are readily available.
LED PAR bulbs for recessed lighting easily replace 100 W incandescent floodlights.
So it would seem there are alternative, viable options when it comes to energy-efficient lighting that will help reduce mercury contamination in our environment.
Canada and the US have mostly discontinued using thiomersal in vaccinations because of medical concerns over small amounts of mercury and their effect on children, but its extensively used in Third World countries were medical supply shelf life is of critical concern.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that any product with mercury, even in small amounts be phased out; these would include florescent lighting, batteries, thermometers, thermostats and other products.
The WHO lists mercury as one of the top 10 pollutants of concern and is working with communities around the world to reduce and minimize methylmercury contamination of local waterways and food supplies.
Possible mercury ban raises questions for consumers · What does a global mercury ban mean for North American energy-efficient lighting? · If North America continues implementing their incandescent phase-out and the UNEP institutes a Mercury ban on all consumer products, what choices will consumers have for home lighting? · Should we also be looking at phasing out all lighting products containing any amount of mercury? · Do alternatives to mercury-based energy-efficient lighting exist? · Are the millions CFL's disposed of properly or are they contaminating our landfills with Mercury? · Will North American, especially the Canadian government classify mercury as an "essential evil" because of the billions of dollars they've put into promotion for adoption of CFL's? · What other items in my house contain mercury? Compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), since their introduction have been touted as energy champions and eco-friendly products, many industry proponents insisted the benefits of the energy savings outweighed the negative of the mercury content in compact fluorescent.
Unfortunately, these statements can only be based on a best case scenario where 99% of the bulb's arrived at a reclamation center at the end of their life (unbroken).
Always dispose of all CFL's, batteries, thermostats etc.
through proper disposal facilities (never the dumpster).
Currently North America is implementing their incandescent lighting phase out, with hundred watt incandescent lightbulbs no longer available in most regions of North America as of January 1, 2012, with 75 W and 60 W incandescent light bulbs to be completely phased-out over the next five years.
Consumers now feel forced into using compact fluorescent, even after great debate in the U.
S.
Senate, the US Department of Energy (USDOE) managed to maintain their phase-out schedule.
In Canada, the same phase-out timetable was delayed for one-year minimum by the Harper government after lobbying from various interests, after they themselves had implemented this timetable in 2007.
The LED Solution Breakthroughs in solid-state lighting technology (SSL), especially in LED, now allow energy-efficient replacement of all types of lighting.
Although constantly downplayed as too expensive, current price trends for high brightness LEDs are continually dropping.
Municipal governments across North America are changing their roadway lighting and street lighting to LED amidst rising energy and maintenance costs.
Homeowners can easily change CFLs to mercury free LED bulbs, which use even less energy and can last many times longer.
LED replacement bulbs for halogen lighting such as MR 16 s and GU 10 are readily available.
LED PAR bulbs for recessed lighting easily replace 100 W incandescent floodlights.
So it would seem there are alternative, viable options when it comes to energy-efficient lighting that will help reduce mercury contamination in our environment.
