The truth about mercury in CFL’s

There has been a lot of debate surrounding the use of Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL’s). The media have sensationalized the amounts of mercury that these energy-saving light fixtures contain and their toxic effects in the home and on families.

While it is true that mercury is a toxic element that can cause serious health problems, is there really any need to be alarmed?

CFL
Photo Credit: Mulad

How much Mercury is in a CFL?

According to GE the average amount of mercury contained in a CFL is about 5mg. In comparison, a standard household thermometer contains anywhere from 500mg to 3000mg and non-electric thermostats can contain over 3000mg or mercury.

Comparison of a CFL to other common mercury-containing items:

Mercury Content of CFL's chart

As you can see from the chart and numbers above, the amount of mercury that a standard CFL contains is minuscule compared to some of the other items found in our homes.

You should also check out this PDF provided by the EPA and found on GE’s website. You will be interested to see that CFL’s actually help REDUCE mercury distribution into the atmosphere.

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Posted in Environment 

Comments

One Response to “The truth about mercury in CFL’s”

  1. Chris on May 8th, 2008 9:48 am

    I think where the worry comes in is that it’s much easier to drop a bulb on the floor and have it shatter, than it is for your thermometer or thermostat to break all over.

    When you’ve got small children who crawl on the floor, you can see where you should def. take caution and clean up REALLY well.

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