Cost-Saving Benefits of CFLs and Fluorescent Lamps

CFLs and fluorescent lamps save significant costs in electricity expenses, right? According to recent articles, many people are in doubt about this claim, and refuse to believe these bulbs are actually saving them money by using less energy. Furthermore, the higher initial cost of the bulbs is preventing many consumers from making the switch. However, tests have shown that CFLs can save households money even under the least ideal conditions.

CFLs and fluorescent lamps give off the same amount of light as their traditional incandescent counterparts, but they require considerably less electricity, which in turn reduces the damaging effects electric power generation causes to the environment. Incandescent light bulbs actually require four times the amount of energy to produce equivalent light in a fluorescent lamp. Fluorescent lamps are four to six times more efficient than incandescent lamps, reducing the power demand from local utilities. Because most power stations use coal as a source for electrical generation, they are large emitters of both greenhouse gas and mercury, which is naturally occurring in most coal that is used today.

Brad Buscher
Chairman and CEO
VaporLok Products LLC

One Broken Bulb: The Health and Safety Risks

One broken four-foot fluorescent lamp in a small room or vehicle can release enough mercury vapor to exceed the OSHA mercury exposure eight-hour limit—posing significant health and safety risks to handlers and consumers. Plus, mercury vapor can be emitted for weeks after a single bulb is broken, continually polluting the air in consumers’ homes. When carelessly handled or improperly disposed of, mercury can get into drinking water, lakes, rivers and streams, posing a critical threat to human health, as well as the environment. Recent studies have linked mercury exposure to increased risk of heart attack in men, to mental retardation and neurological disorders in children, and dangerous levels of mercury in the blood of women of childbearing age.

Despite these health concerns, the EPA estimates that approximately 75 to 80 percent of fluorescent lamps are not recycled and are usually placed in dumpsters or trash containers, presenting a considerable risk. One study found that mercury is "strongly and persistently" emitted from dumpsters that contain broken fluorescent lamps.(1) Broken fluorescent lamps need to be properly recycled to prevent the release of mercury vapor. Learn how to clean up a broken bulb or how to safely package and recycle fluorescent lamps by reading our Layers of protection: Packaging used fluorescent lamps post.

1. Lindberg, S.E.; Owens, J. PaMSWaD (Pathways of Mercury in Solid Waste Disposal); Lockheed Martin Energy Research Corporation (LMER). 1999. 6.

Brad Buscher
Chairman and CEO
VaporLok Products LLC

Origins of the Phrase “Mad As a Hatter”

Mercury has long been known to be toxic. The phrase "mad as a hatter" refers to the 19th-century occupational disease that resulted from prolonged contact with the mercury used in the manufacture of felt hats. Along with felt hats, mercury has been taken out of many manufacturing processes and products—as the dangers of mercury exposure become more well known.

Most mercury pesticides have been withdrawn from the U.S. market, and many countries banned ocean dumping of mercury and other pollutants in 1972. Production of mercury-containing interior and exterior paints in the United States was phased out in 1991. Mercury, which has been used in medicines for hundreds of years, continues to be used in various folk remedies that can cause mercury exposures. The use of mercury in dental amalgam for tooth fillings has stirred escalating controversy in recent years. Most other medical uses have been banned or are being phased out.

Despite these changes, some workers today, especially laboratory technicians, nurses, and machine operators, continue to be exposed to mercury on the job. Elemental mercury (the silver liquid familiar in thermometers) is a common occupational source of exposure. Fragile fluorescent lamps and compact fluorescent lamps if broken represent another mercury exposure risk as they are handled by manufacturers, transporters, distributors, retailers, consumers and installers, as well as recycling or waste handlers. There are currently no universally enforced packaging standards designed to protect these people. There now exists a proven packaging design with a vapor resistant and zip seal bag that should be mandated to protect people who work with or near fluorescent lamps, as well as for protecting the surrounding environment.

Brad Buscher
Chairman and CEO
VaporLok Products LLC

Which States Are Raising Awareness of the Dangers of Mercury Vapor?

As fluorescent lamps and CFLs increasingly become businesses and consumers’ primary lighting choice, more states are taking action to address the health and safety issues associated with their use. While fluorescent lamps are considered as a more energy-efficient bulb than traditional incandescent bulbs, these lamps are fragile and, upon breaking, release mercury vapor that can be detrimental to handlers' health—from those involved with handling new bulbs to people involved with storing, packaging and shipping used lamps.

To address the potential dangers of unsafe packaging and transportation of used fluorescent lamps and mercury containing devices, many states are taking a stand to increase awareness by enforcing their own legislation. In March 2010, Washington took the first step in creating a law that requires lights and other mercury-containing devices to be packaged and shipped in material that will minimize the release of mercury into the environment. The law also states that packages should include mercury vapor barrier materials if lamps are transported by the United States postal service or a common carrier or collected via curbside programs and mail-back businesses.

Additional states have addressed this health issue with their own, more specific regulations regarding lamp disposal, including Wisconsin, Minnesota, Massachusetts, California, Vermont, New York, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Florida and Rhode Island. To read about these laws and find out more information regarding state regulations, read our "Additional State Regulations" post.

Brad Buscher
Chairman and CEO
VaporLok Products LLC

EPA Packaging Regulations

Shipping, packaging, and handling of fluorescent lamps is a major concern because of the harmful mercury vapor emitted when the lamps are broken, which commonly occurs during shipment. To lessen the health and environmental risks associated with mercury vapor, national laws--sometimes supplemented by more rigorous state laws--exist to encourage proper recycling of fluorescent lamps. EPA encourages recycling of these lamps by allowing common carrier shipment to recycling facilities. To protect people who handle fluorescent lamps, EPA instructs that packaging should be designed to protect against breakage. While the rules mandate that lamps be packaged in structurally sound packages, the federal laws don't explicitly address mercury vapor release.

Read more about State Universal Waste Regulations and Federal Universal Waste Regulations

Brad Buscher
Chairman and CEO
VaporLok Products LLC

Incandescent Lamps Vs. Fluorescent Lamps

We’ve all heard by now that fluorescent lamps are considered to be the better option when it comes to lighting choices, but why? Well for starters, fluorescent lamps are four to six times more efficient than incandescent lamps, which in turn reduces the power demand from local utilities. Since most power stations use coal as a source for electrical generation, they are large emitters of both greenhouse gas and mercury, which is naturally occurring in most coal that is used today. The reduced demand for electricity in turn reduces both greenhouse gas and mercury emissions.

Although incandescent light bulbs may seem like the cheaper option at the counter, consumers will actually save money on CFLs in the long run. While a CFL may cost about $2.00 per bulb, compared to about $0.50 cents for an incandescent bulb, a CFL is four to six times more efficient than an incandescent and lasts an estimated 8 to 15 times as long as an incandescent.

Brad Buscher
Chairman and CEO
VaporLok Products LLC

Mercury: Why Is It Needed?

Mercury is an essential component of energy-efficient fluorescent lamps, allowing them to produce light and provide a longer life in comparison to incandescent bulbs. A typical fluorescent lamp is composed of a phosphor coated glass tube with electrodes located at either end. The tube contains mercury, of which only a very small amount is in vapor form. When a voltage is applied, the electrodes energize the mercury vapor, causing it to emit ultraviolet (UV) energy. The phosphor coating absorbs the UV energy, causing the phosphor to fluoresce and emit visible light.(1)

The amount of mercury required is very small, typically measured in milligrams, and varies by lamp type, year of manufacture, manufacturing plant and manufacturer. Although it is a necessary component, mercury from fluorescent lamps still poses significant health and environmental issues, and lamps should be properly stored, transported and recycled in a packaging configuration proven to effectively contain mercury vapor.

1. “Fluorescent and other Mercury-Containing Lamps and the Environment,” NEMA, March 2005.

Brad Buscher
Chairman and CEO
VaporLok Products LLC

EPA Estimates Just 20-25% of Fluorescent Lamps are Recycled

While the new legislation in Washington—addressing the dangers of unsafe packaging and transportation of used fluorescent lamps and mercury-containing devices—shows growth in the right direction, there is still a long way to go in protecting people and the environment from mercury vapor emitted from broken lamps.

The EPA estimates recycling rates of fluorescent lamps at only 20 to 25 percent, leaving the majority to be placed in dumpsters and eventually end up in landfills—where they may emit hazardous mercury vapor into the environment. The consumer recycling rate has been estimated to be even lower—possibly at less than 2 percent.

Mercury-containing waste that isn’t properly recycled poses a serious environmental and health concern. Safe recycling facilities exist, but should be encouraged by new rules and regulations. New legislation should also ensure that used fluorescent lamps are packaged in configurations proven to effectively contain mercury vapor emitted from broken lamps.

Brad Buscher
Chairman and CEO
VaporLok Products LLC

Why is it Important to Recycle Used Fluorescent Lamps?

According to EPA estimates, only 20% to 25% of used fluorescent lamps are recycled, These lamps are commonly sent to a recycler in bulk or in pre-paid shipping recycling boxes. The 75% to 80% of fluorescent lamps that are not recycled usually end up in dumpsters or trash containers and, ultimately, in landfills. One study indicates dumpsters that contain broken fluorescent lamps “strongly and persistently” emit mercury.(1) Another study on mercury release from broken fluorescent lamps found that between 17% to 40% of the mercury in broken low-mercury fluorescent lamps is released to the air during the two-week period after breakage.(2) Of this mercury, one-third of the release takes place during the first eight hours following breakage, potentially exposing personnel in the vicinity to unsafe levels of mercury vapor. Using this estimated release rate and an estimated 620 million lamps discarded annually in the United States, broken used fluorescent lamps release approximately two to four tons of mercury each year into the environment.

Used fluorescent lamps need to be properly handled during shipping and recycling. Safe packaging reduces the threat of mercury vapor emitted from broken lamps.

Brad Buscher
Chairman and CEO
VaporLok Products LLC

What Mercury?

While the amount of mercury used in an individual fluorescent bulb has decreased over the past years, one broken 4-foot fluorescent lamp in a small room or vehicle can release enough mercury vapor to exceed the OSHA mercury exposure 8-hour limit—posing a significant occupational health risk. Plus, mercury vapor can be emitted for weeks after a single bulb is broken.

In their lifetime, fragile fluorescent lamps are handled by manufacturers, transporters, distributors, retailers, consumers and installers, as well as recycling or waste handlers. Although the lamps could break anywhere down this line and expose workers and the environment to hazardous mercury vapors, there are no universally enforced packaging standards designed to protect these people.

While some steps have been taken to encourage safe recycling and disposal of fluorescent lamps, this fact remains: although a variety of containers are marketed for transportation of fluorescent lamps, many don't provide necessary levels of protection against mercury vapor in the occurrence of breakage. Using a proven packaging design with a vapor resistant lining is vital to ensuring the safety of persons who work with or near fluorescent bulbs, as well as for protecting the surrounding environment, especially as fluorescent lighting continues to grow in popularity and practicality. Currently, only one package design, which includes a vapor resistant and zip seal bag, has proven effective in containing mercury vapor.

Brad Buscher
Chairman and CEO
VaporLok Products LLC

Dangers of Mercury Vapor

Mercury vapor can be detrimental to consumers’ and handlers’ health—from those involved with handling new fluorescent bulbs to people involved with storing, packaging and shipping used and broken lamps. Vapor released from shattered lamps can be contained in specifically designed mercury storage packages, but concentrations inside this packaging can remain dangerously high, creating a risk if the package is opened or perforated. The vapors can be captured within mercury-safe packages with the inclusion of a new, patent-pending adsorbent technology that effectively reduces vapor levels over periods of time.

A Study by NUCON International, Inc., a world-wide leader in providing gas, vapor and liquid phase adsorption solutions, found the adsorbent showed an immediate reduction of mercury vapors by nearly 60 percent after 15 minutes. After 12 hours, the reduction can reach more than 95 percent. This technology, recently announced at the Air & Waste Management Association’s Conference & Exhibition, provides consumers and transporters who come into contact with used CFLs a safe way to handle them. With the vapor contained and captured in safe packaging, consumers’ and handlers’ risks of vapor leaks or seepage are greatly reduced. Also, a small consumer-size recycling bag, available soon, will feature this technology and allow people to safely store three to four used lamps at home before taking them to a retailer or municipality that accepts CFLs for recycling.

View a short animated depiction of the adsorption process at http://www.vaporlokproducts.com/capturedemo.

Proper Packaging for CFLs

Safely recycling used fluorescent lamps and compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) is important for the environment, but also for the health of consumers and handlers who come into contact with them. Exposure to mercury vapors can lead to significant risks including neurological damage. Despite the potential health issues, fluorescent lamps and CFLs are growing steadily in the industrial, commercial and residential markets. They are four to six times more efficient than incandescent bulbs, offer energy cost savings and deliver a longer working life. In order to safely dispose of and recycle used fluorescent lamps and CFLs, they must be properly packaged in an effective mercury-safe storage or shipping container that includes an adsorbent technology.

A study by NUCON International, Inc., a world-wide leader in providing gas, vapor and liquid phase adsorption solutions for mercury and other contaminants to the nuclear and other industries, found that within mercury-specific packaging, vapor levels can reach over 150 to 300 times OSHA’s 8-hour permissible exposure limit. A new, patent-pending adsorbent technology, recently announced at the Air & Waste Management Association’s Conference & Exhibition, can significantly reduce the mercury vapor levels in these storage and recycling packages. Levels were reduced by nearly 60 percent in only 15 minutes and over 95 percent after 12 hours, according to the study. The adsorbent is impregnated with powdered, activated carbon and reacted with proprietary inert chemicals, allowing it to effectively capture and reduce the mercury vapor from shattered lamps to a safe level within the shipping and storage package. In addition, the adsorbent can accommodate the high volume of mercury vapor that is released when several or all bulbs in a full package are broken. This provides an added layer of protection against incidental mercury exposure, offering consumers and other handlers a safer way to recycle their used fluorescent lamps and CFLs. A small consumer-size recycling bag, available soon, will also feature this technology and allow people to safely store three to four used lamps at home before taking them to a retailer or municipality that accepts CFLs for recycling.

View a short animated depiction of the adsorption process at http://www.vaporlokproducts.com/capturedemo.

Download a detailed White Paper on this technology at http://www.vaporlokproducts.com/capturewhitepaper.pdf.

Mercury Vapor: Transitioning from Containment to Capture for Safe Fluorescent Lamp Disposal

The popularity of fluorescent lamps and compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) are steadily growing in the industrial, commercial and residential markets, due to their sustainability, energy efficiency and recent federal legislation banning the manufacture of incandescent light bulbs starting in 2012. Fluorescent lamps and CFLs are four to six times more efficient than incandescent bulbs and emit about the same amount of visible light, all while offering a longer working life and significant savings in energy costs. While there are many positive reasons to employ fluorescent lamps, they can also be potentially dangerous because of their mercury content.

Since exposure to mercury vapor can lead to significant safety and health risks for handlers of fluorescent lamps, it is important to take the necessary precautions when handling, storing or transporting used or broken lamps to protect against any potential harm from released mercury vapor.

Recent efforts to protect consumers and handlers against the inherent dangers of mercury vapor exposure from broken lamps have centered around containing the mercury vapor in the storage and shipping container. However, this traditional method does not protect against vapor exposure if the container is opened or leaks with broken lamps inside. New developments demonstrate a method to actually adsorb and capture the mercury vapor within the container mitigating the risks of vapor exposure.

Read the full white paper here.

NUCON International Study Finds Mercury Vapor in Recycling Containers Reaches Unsafe Levels, Indicating Need for Adsorption

NUCON International Inc., Columbus, OH, a worldwide leader in providing gas, vapor and liquid phase adsorption solutions to the Nuclear Power and other industries, has announced the results of recent tests to determine the levels of mercury vapor that accumulate in mercury lamp storage and shipping containers when lamps inside the containers are broken. The study concluded that mercury vapor levels within containers containing broken fluorescent lamps exceed health and safety exposure limits and guidelines. NUCON also ran parallel tests using a new adsorbent technology and achieved more than 95 percent mercury vapor reduction within the same containers.

Tests were conducted by breaking fluorescent lamps inside a sealed vapor-containing bag and box in a specially designed test chamber and continuously measuring vapor levels inside the bag. The results indicated that opening a package containing broken fluorescent lamps and/or CFLs presents a significant risk of mercury vapor exposure, potentially rising well above both the OSHA 8-hour permissible exposure limit of 100 ug/m3 and the NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) IDLH (immediately dangerous to life and health) level of 10,000 ug/m3.

NUCON ran multiple parallel tests using a new, patent-pending adsorbent substrate they developed in conjunction with VaporLok Products, LLC, Mankato, MN, www.vaporlokproducts.com. The new substrate was impregnated with carbon and treated with a variety of inert chemicals, effectively adsorbing and capturing the mercury vapor. This new, carbon-based adsorbent technology, called VaporLokCapture™, is designed to adsorb mercury vapor from any device or product containing mercury.  You can view a short animated depiction of this process at www.vaporlokproducts.com/capturedemo.

Read the full release here. 

Why Should You Switch to Fluorescent Lamps?

Incandescent light bulbs emit light by using electricity to heat up a filament that is encased in a protective glass globe to a very high temperature, causing the filament to glow and produce light. The energy required to produce this light is four times the amount of energy required to produce equivalent light in fluorescent lamps. When the fixtures in an average household are counted and multiplied by the number of households in the country, a true sense of the energy needed to produce the light—that many people take for granted—can be realized.

Fluorescent lamps are made up of a sealed glass tube with a phosphor powder coating along the inside of the glass. Inside the tube is a small amount of mercury as well as an inert gas—such as argon—that is maintained under low pressure. Two electrodes on opposite sides of the tube energize the mercury to produce ultraviolet energy. The phosphor coating on the glass tube then absorbs this energy and releases a photon of visible light.

Like incandescent bulbs, fluorescent lamps don't convert 100 percent of the energy they consume into visible light. However, they are four to six times more efficient than incandescent lamps, which in turn reduces the power demand from local utilities. Since most power stations use coal as a source for electrical generation, they are large emitters of both greenhouse gas and mercury, which is naturally occurring in most coal that is used today. The reduced demand for electricity in turn reduces both greenhouse gas and mercury emissions.

Brad Buscher
Chairman and CEO
VaporLok Products LLC

How is the Lighting Industry Reducing Mercury Use?

The lighting industry has slowly reduced the amount of mercury used in fluorescent lamps over the past 20 years and, according to NEMA surveys, mercury use has been reduced dramatically over the last 7 years. Since 1990, NEMA has conducted a number of surveys, which indicate the total amount of mercury contained in all lamps in the U.S. declined to 17 tons in 1994, 13 tons in 1999, 9 tons in 2001 and 7 tons in 2003—nearly a 90% reduction from previous years. According to this trend, researchers believe this number will continue to decline in future years.

The lighting industry accomplished these dramatic reductions by collectively investing millions of dollars in new lamp manufacturing equipment and processes. However, fluorescent lamps must still be handled, stored and transported to recycling facilities with care. To ensure the safety of people who handle these lamps and the environment, there is a need for better regulations for packaging that controls the release of mercury vapor emitted from broken lamps.

Brad Buscher
Chairman and CEO
VaporLok Products LLC

How Can You Easily Recycle Used Fluorescent Bulbs?

Products containing mercury, including fluorescent lamps, need to be handled and recycled properly to effectively contain and prevent mercury vapor from releasing into the environment. Mercury-containing waste that isn't properly recycled poses a serious environmental and health concern and can be regulated more stringently.

Fluorescent lamps can easily be recycled or disposed if burned out. Available recycling methods include:

• Use Mercury VaporLok® Bags for safely accumulating spent fluorescent lamps for recycling.
• Waste Management LampTracker®: The prepaid program includes recycling containers, shipping both ways via UPS or FedEx ground, recycling of the wastes and complete online documentation of every container ordered and recycled.
• State Collection Sites: Check with you local and/or state regulators and use Earth911.com to find a drop-off near you. Also note that many National retailers accept spent lamps for recycling.

Brad Buscher
Chairman and CEO
VaporLok Products LLC

The Mercury Debate: Is the CFL Bulb the Right Choice?

The 2007 energy conservation measure passed by Congress set standards to essentially ban incandescent lights by 2013, requiring households to make the switch to more energy efficient lights. However, many consumers are raising the question, whether or not CFLs and fluorescent bulbs are really the more efficient lighting choice. Due to their mercury content, many consumers are wary about placing them in their homes.

However, incandescent bulbs actually result in more mercury pollution than fluorescents. Because mercury is a byproduct of burning coal, coal-fired power plants are one of the largest sources of mercury pollution. Because incandescent bulbs use several times more electricity over their lifetimes, they require far more power generation and, ultimately, result in more mercury emission than fluorescents. With the coming “maximal achievable technology” clean air standards, it is fully expected that mercury emissions will have to be severely reduced in order to stop this proliferation. Fluorescent lights are four to six times more efficient than incandescent lamps, significantly reducing the power demand from local utilities. The reduced demand for electricity in turn reduces both greenhouse gas and mercury emissions.

Furthermore, consumers can safely use energy efficient bulbs if they are properly handled and disposed of when broken or burned out. Learn how to safely clean up a broken bulb or safely package a used bulb to send to a recycling facility.

Brad Buscher

Chairman and CEO

VaporLok Products LLC

Layers of Packaging Help Protect Used Fluorescent Lamps

Many customers repurpose the packages fluorescent lamps are sold in—to store used lamps and eventually transport these lamps for disposal or recycling. However, the recent University of Minnesota study I conducted with my team of researchers found that these packages do not contain mercury vapor below permissible workplace exposure levels, as defined by state and federal authorities.

We also tested packaging configurations that enhance this single cardboard layer with a plastic bag, as well as packages that add a second layer of cardboard to the design—with the bags positioned between the two cardboard layers. The latter group contained two package varieties: a double-box with a thicker, tape-sealed plastic bag, and a double box with a foil-plastic laminate bag containing a zip closure. Both of these packages performed better than the other configurations. Yet, only the double box with the foil-plastic laminate bag delivered the necessary levels of protection.

This study indicates that all three layers of the last packaging configuration are critical in the effective containment of mercury vapor. The first cardboard layer provides structure to the configuration and protects contents from outside elements. The bag—which should feature a suitable material and tight seal—contains the mercury vapor, and the inner layer of cardboard prevents broken glass from puncturing the bag and rendering it ineffective.

Brad Buscher
Chairman and CEO
VaporLok Products LLC

Switching To a More Efficient Bulb

Fluorescent lamps give off the same amount of light as their traditional incandescent counterparts, but they require considerably less electricity, which in turn reduces the damaging effects electric power generation causes to the environment. Incandescent light bulbs actually require four times the amount of energy to produce equivalent light in a fluorescent lamp. Fluorescent lamps are four to six times more efficient than incandescent lamps, reducing the power demand from local utilities. Because most power stations use coal as a source for electrical generation, they are large emitters of both greenhouse gas and mercury, which is naturally occurring in most coal that is used today.

Mercury does present significant health and safety risks to consumers and handlers. However, proper packaging does exist that has been proven to protect people from mercury vapor exposure when handling fragile fluorescent lamps. To ensure sufficient packaging methods are used, packaging regulations should be defined and enforced.

Brad Buscher
Chairman and CEO
VaporLok Products LLC