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WalMart Muscles Manufacturers into Low Mercury CFLs

A press release out this morning from Wal-Mart announced a reduction in the mercury content of the compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL) it sells. Concern about mercury content in CFLs is one of the reasons some people do not want to use them, despite the fact that they introduce less mercury into the environment if they should happen to break than is introduced into the atmosphere from the coal burned to power less efficient incandescent bulbs for a similar period of time.

Although the 800-pound gorilla of retail undoubtedly used its muscle to help move these manufacturers along, it is unlikely that these new, lower mercury CFLs will only be available from Wal-Mart (though they may show up there sooner than in other locations).

Some manufacturers are announcing reductions as much as 50%-60% below current limits for CFLs. Individual manufacturers highlights from the announcement include:

  • GE Consumer & Industrial will reduce CFL mercury content up to 50 percent from NEMA levels in new products, while maintaining the excellent light quality and long life that GE customers expect.
  • Philips currently supplies Wal-Mart with CFLs that have mercury contents 40 to 60 percent below the NEMA level of 5 mg per unit (for CFLs less than 25W). Philips utilizes pellet dosing versus liquid mercury to ensure safe and accurate levels of mercury per bulb, and continues to look for ways to reduce the amount of mercury in its CFL, while still maintaining the lamps' high quality and performance characteristics.
  • OSRAM SYLVANIA CFLs currently meet the NEMA standard of 5 mg of mercury, with reflector lamps that are 40 percent lower at 3 mg. Sylvania has committed to reducing the mercury content in all of its CFLs to 4 mg or less by the end of 2007, and to 2.5 mg by the end of 2008.
  • Lights of America will reduce the amount of mercury in its CFLs by up to 50 percent. Wal-Mart's new standards have resulted in Lights of America identifying a different metal alloy technology that improves bulb performance while requiring less mercury per bulb. This technology is currently being added to Lights of America CFLs and the company expects all of its bulbs to have no more than 2 mg of mercury by the end of 2007.

The next step we look for is for major retailers such as Wal-Mart who are selling these bulbs to begin offering recycling/take-back programs to collect CFLs that have reached the end of their working life for safe disposal.

Thanks Sustainablogger

Link: PR Newswire

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Comments (31)Add Comment
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written by Dan, May 11, 2007
I think this is quite funny actually, although reducing the mercury in CFLs is definately something to work towards, the concencus I've seen is that this is mainly an american concern. When a CFL breaks in the US they might as well call in a HAZMAT team to clean up, anywhere else you open a few windows and vaccum the mess up ASAP. Maybe something to do with the US having Warning and Saftey stickers on just about everything you can stick one to.
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Keep this in mind...
written by Edina, May 13, 2007
Note:The immediate changes that occur when consumers speak up. A large corporation easily changes a manufactures products or conditions.
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Uh Dan...
written by Dwindle, May 15, 2007
When a CFL breaks, the room (10x10x8, for example) contains three times the OSHA limit for mercury contamination, and requires respirators.

With your open window, it would takes approx. 1.5 hours before it would be safe to breath in it.

They are highly toxic, and cause severe birth defects.

By the time you have opened your window, you, or your 2 year old have already consumed large quantities of mercury.

Yes, Dan, one woman had to pay over $2,000 to have her bedroom decontaminated by a hazmat squad.
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No, no woman paid $2,000 to clean up one
written by Ed Darrell, June 11, 2007
The woman in Maine who claimed to have been told she needed a HazMat team? Can't verify it from any other source. Maine's Department of Environmental Protection points to their website that explains how to easily, cheaply and effectively clean a spill. Air the room for an hour, used gloves and damp paper towels, essentially. Were it possible for one bulb to cause birth defects, OSHA would be all over it. So would EPA. That's simply untrue.

Here, get some facts: http://preview.tinyurl.com/2fgwls
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Ã¥Â®Â¶Ã¥ÂºÂ­Ã¦â€”â€¦Ã©Â¦â  
written by 家庭旅馆, January 08, 2008
They are highly toxic, and cause severe birth defects.
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Re: Uh Dan
written by Steve Bergman, February 11, 2009
When a CFL breaks, the room (10x10x8, for example) contains three times the OSHA limit for mercury contamination, and requires respirators.


Nice try. How about this? The FDA's recommendations for the consumption of certain fish are based upon a safe level of consumption (as in "eating") of 1.5 mg mercury per week. They make it clear that it is OK to eat more in a week, as long as you keep the average at or below 1.5mg/week

The average CFL contains < 4mg of mercury. So if you are one of those people who likes to break open CFLs to lick all the mercury out, you should be safe to do so as long as you limit your consumption to one bulb every 3 weeks. "Sylvania Micromini" brand CFLs contain < 1.5mg, so you should be safe to partake of that delicacy weekly.

If the average content were 4 micrograms per bulb instead of 4 milligrams, we'd be seeing the same hysteria from the same people. Because all they have to hear is "contains mercury" to go into a tizzy. They seem to have no concept of the quantitative. How can people be so stupid?
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CFL MERCURY A MAJOR HEALTH AND ENVIRONME
written by Jim, March 28, 2009
MERCURY A MAJOR HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN
In the rush to save energy, we have created a major health and environmental concern with CFL bulbs that contain mercury, a dangerous neurotoxin. Additional, how we dispose of used CFLs and safely recycle them has not been resolved. A recent CFL breakage at school resulted in a call to hazmat for clean-up and media advisory regarding hazards of CFL.

You certainly do not want to risk CFL breakage around children or infants, so use CFLs with extreme care.

CFLs are a green mistake, health hazard, and future environmental disaster.
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Uh Steve
written by Matt Smith, April 21, 2009
The type of mercury in seafood is different than the elemental mercury found in CFLs. Mercury in sea creatures are organic mercury compounds while the kind in CFLs is the pure element. Each poses it's own kind of dangers, the elemental kind more easily vaporizes and is harmful to breath in. If one were to eat elemental mercury, while it would still be bad, the real danger comes from inhaling the vapor.
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