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
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
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
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
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
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
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
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Recycling Vs. Landfills
Recycling mercury-containing lights, such as fluorescent lamps and CFLs,
provides many health, safety and environmental advantages. The main
advantage of recycling used energy-efficient lights is in preventing
mercury from entering the solid waste steam—where a portion of it is
likely to be released into the environment. Another advantage is from
the reuse of certain raw materials from mercury-containing lamps,
including the mercury itself. Although the initial cost for recycling is
higher than disposal to landfills, the cost is typically less than 1%
of the electric savings allotted from the reduced energy use fluorescent
lamps provide over traditional incandescent lights.
Many consumers dispose of used fluorescent lamps in dumpsters, which eventually end up in landfills, where they may emit hazardous mercury vapor into the environment. A study of exposure to broken low-mercury lamps by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection entitled, "Release of Mercury from Broken Fluorescent Bulbs" demonstrated that "elevated airborne levels of mercury could exist in the vicinity of recently broken lamps, and "could exceed occupational exposure limits." Collectively, the total amount of mercury released from lamp breakage adds to the overall mercury pollution in the United States, increasing health and safety hazards for consumers and waste handlers. Increased lamp recycling is recommended to further reduce mercury pollution.
Brad Buscher
Chairman and CEO
VaporLok Products LLC
Many consumers dispose of used fluorescent lamps in dumpsters, which eventually end up in landfills, where they may emit hazardous mercury vapor into the environment. A study of exposure to broken low-mercury lamps by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection entitled, "Release of Mercury from Broken Fluorescent Bulbs" demonstrated that "elevated airborne levels of mercury could exist in the vicinity of recently broken lamps, and "could exceed occupational exposure limits." Collectively, the total amount of mercury released from lamp breakage adds to the overall mercury pollution in the United States, increasing health and safety hazards for consumers and waste handlers. Increased lamp recycling is recommended to further reduce mercury pollution.
Brad Buscher
Chairman and CEO
VaporLok Products LLC
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Study Results Indicate the Need for Safer Packaging, Storage and Transportation of Used Fluorescent Lamps
Results of a recent study conducted by a research team at the University
of Minnesota School of Public Health, Division of Environmental Health
Sciences suggest that most containers used for storage and
transportation of used fluorescent lamps to recycling centers do not
provide necessary levels of protection against mercury vapors emitted
from broken lamps.
The study, published in the March 2009 issue of the Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, found that of the five packages tested in the study, just one configuration—consisting of a zip-closure plastic-foil laminate bag layered between two cardboard boxes—minimized exposure levels below acceptable occupational limits, as defined by state and federal regulations and guidelines.
Based on the measurements of mercury vapor from single broken fluorescent bulbs, it was determined the need for additional research to quantify emissions from various types of packaging. The results indicate that emissions from packages not designed to contain mercury vapor represent a real health and safety concern.
Brad Buscher
Chairman and CEO
VaporLok Products LLC
The study, published in the March 2009 issue of the Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, found that of the five packages tested in the study, just one configuration—consisting of a zip-closure plastic-foil laminate bag layered between two cardboard boxes—minimized exposure levels below acceptable occupational limits, as defined by state and federal regulations and guidelines.
Based on the measurements of mercury vapor from single broken fluorescent bulbs, it was determined the need for additional research to quantify emissions from various types of packaging. The results indicate that emissions from packages not designed to contain mercury vapor represent a real health and safety concern.
Brad Buscher
Chairman and CEO
VaporLok Products LLC
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
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.
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.
Labels:
NUCON,
vaporlok,
vaporlok capture,
vaporlokcapture
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
How Do Incandescent Lights Result in More Mercury Pollution Than Fluorescents?
In addition to carefully recycling products that contain mercury, we can
reduce mercury pollution by reducing our energy consumption. 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.
Brad Buscher
Chairman and CEO
VaporLok Products LLC
Brad Buscher
Chairman and CEO
VaporLok Products LLC
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