Agreed! Think of all of the lightbulbs in your house and how much mercury you will be exposing your family too. Absolutely atrocious! We should be able to choose whatever the hell we want to light our homes with! I also question the longevity of CFLs and their supposed pollution savings. All of it is B.S.

Think of all of the lightbulbs in your house and how much mercury you will be exposing your family too.

None if you don't break them...

You realize every time you eat fish you're probably eating some mercury too right?

Do you worry about the radioactive material in ionizing smoke detectors also?

I have them inside, because they were given to me , and yes my electrical bill has gone down , but I believe it is do more to me making my lights are turned off

Now , What about my outside flood lights and outside security lights? And at least the CFL's cannot be used outside, ( at least I have not been able to find any) And I agree about the mercury, Has anyone done a study on it 's day to day long term effects, I have read none.

Me too. The stockpile of incandescents I plan to have by then should well last me the rest of my life. My reasoning is rather juvenile though. I really don't have a preference about the kind of light I'm using. For me, it's more about thumbing my nose at a government that now is going to tell me what kind of light bulb I can have (in addition to what TV stations I can watch, what kind of car I can drive, etc.). I'll pay the extra cash for the power bill in exchange for not lighting my home with something a hazmat team has to clean up if I drop it.

Cheerio...I'm off to hug a tree...

With all the BS wait till they tell us what toilet paper we can wipe with

"Night Hawk

I have them inside, because they were given to me , and yes my electrical bill has gone down , but I believe it is do more to me making my lights are turned off

Now , What about my outside flood lights and outside security lights? And at least the CFL's cannot be used outside, ( at least I have not been able to find any) And I agree about the mercury, Has anyone done a study on it 's day to day long term effects, I have read none."

You can buy outside flood lights with CFLs, but I have found the light output disappointing. The ones I have, I bought years ago, so there may be brighter ones, now.

I am currently using CFLs on my outside walkway stairs for lighting and they are working as well as the incandescents they replaced.

We expose EVERYONE to more mercury, and other extremely hazardous materials, by burning massive amounts of coal to power incandescent bulbs. I have yet to ever break a CFL, and they save tons of energy. We should be applauding the added benefit of more energy independence, rather than pretending these bulbs don't help at all.

Yeah, they're not perfect, but getting better, and they will continue to do so (both CFLs and LEDs) as incandescents are phased out and costs continue to drop.

Whether you break them in your own house or not, the additional mercury is going to go into our landfills, earth and groundwater. There are no "extra" measures to dispose of them. The fact we have naturally occuring mercury and there are other sources of mercury doesn't negate the foolishness of adding so much more tonnage over time. Why is this issue taking such a huge back seat to the savings in energy? The question is, savings at what price??

There are a few issues here that don't add up:

1. Politicians lead the ban on incandescent bulbs, but scientists have now figured out a way to make incandescents live about 10x longer- on par or better than CFLs. Also, incandescent bulbs DON'T need circuit boards(electronic waste) or mercury to work= simpler and more environmentally friendly.So, can we get the politicians to either stay out of the process or overturn their own legislation?? Probably too many campaign contributions to do that.

2. People whom have had some forms of eye surgery have problems with CFLs/flourescents. It bothers their eyes (watering, pain, etc.) So you are going to ban them from feeling good too?

3. LEDs are moving along well, but have some color issues. They will likely take over some day, but we need to redo the systems to support them as well.

4. I use CFLs, but I don't know of any means to dispose of them properly. My town doesn't have a special place to drop them off, special containers to put them in, etc. So if I'm one of say 50,000 in my town and we all drop 10,000 CFLs in the trash every year, that's not a good thing.

I'm all for less energy use and environmental safety. I think we've learned that the government forcing the discontinuation of technology isn't always the right way to go. Give us the new, long life incandescents and get rid of the toxic bulbs.

I've had CFL's for a while, put them in places that need utilitarian light (closets, attics). I've tried dimmable (expensive) GE CFL and it was a joke. Saw LED dimmable for $20 and thought I'd try it. Was better but the bright light remained just was toned down. Nothing compares to a standard bulbs glow in a fixture. Its a wire that's glowing, solid state....warm, natural. It mimicks the light from a burning fire, and we humans are in tune with this glow. This is not about not wanting to go forward, I'm an early adopter, its about what light and its uses that I'm after. I'm hording bulbs and telling all I know about this problem. May end up joining the Tea Party if they would just loose palin and social issues.

Just wait, all we have to do is get through the next two years, then we'll get rid of the inept liar in the white house and start making them again..
There is a campaign starting up to tell you what you will have to do, to get rid of the old bulbs,that will be about half of the price of the bulb
Be sure and thank Obama appropriately., at the ballot box.

We have only one fixture (in our shed) that isn't carrying a CFL. When it finally burns out we're replacing it with a solar-powered light.

Home Depot, Ace Hardware, Lowe's, and some other retailers recycle CFLs - or check this website to find a recycler in your area: Earth 911

You can recycle CFLs by taking them to Home Depot. What's so tricky about that?

Exactly, the LED's are better in that regard but have pollution problems in the manufacturing operations. I don't trust the recycling operators, they just sell the bulk to India. The hybrid vehicle batteries have a more detrimental problem. Government is trying to figure out how to tax the miles traveled on the electic phase as well as the charging operations for EV's. The real pollution problem: too many human beings crowding the planet.

Yeah and tire retailers used to get rid of tires for free, now there is $1 disposal fee on them.
Want to be on how long it will be before they have to be taken to a government disposal place.

what's so tricky about going to Home Depot or Lowe's to recycle? it's not Walmart. think about the mentality of some people. hell, my city GIVES residents free recycling bins but my next door neighbor can't be bothered to chuck the dozen or so pizza boxes (or the dozen soda boxes or cereal boxes or whatever) in a bin and put it outside. so we have to go over and dig through the trash to dump them in our bin.

with that being said, it might not be a bad idea to get together with people in your towns to approach local businesses and ask to put a collection box in. volunteer to come pick up the contents a few times each month.

Jerry:

The phase-out was signed into law in 2007, while president GW Bush was in office. Don't put blame where is not deserved.

Since I don't eat CFLs, I am not worried about mercury "poisoning".

I bought about 30 CFLs from Costco for about a buck a piece. 2 years later, I have yet to replace any.

Rob: They're taking out the market with the comparative advantage, which will reduce the need for manufacturers of the "eco friendly" lights to produce them at a lower cost. They haven't been in the market, or more importantly in our homes, long enough to know the negative possibilities. Burning coal may affect the environment, but what is all that mercury going to do inside our homes? People who save money on lighting are going to compensate by using other sources of energy more (like running the a/c or heater more because their bills are lower and they can afford it). Ever heard of just turning the lights off when they're not on, in order to conserve? I'm not suggesting people not be able to buy CFLs if they want them, but seriously, outlawing the manufacture of a safe and effective product in order to change people's behaviors?? Kiss your SUV and truck goodbye, folks.

Knightrider, lucky you. I bought a four-pack of CFLs and have had to replace all of them within 3 months. I went back to incandescents and will stockpile them. I'm conserving energy by turning them off when they're not in use; you know, the old fashioned way to conserve.

Good thing you're not eating them, though. However, some of us have kids who throw balls in the house. I've had several incandescents break, and it's just a matter of grabbing a light vacuum. I have to read up on how I'll handle a CFL break.

wow. i'm surprised at the 3 month mark you hit with your CFLs. we've got CFLs still going strong after 5 years in our house. if i were you, i'd have taken them back to the store. seems like a defect. *shrug* kudos to you for keeping the lights off when you're not using them. imagine the savings you could have if you were doing the same and using the CFLs or LEDs.

your kids throw balls in the house? i hope you're not classifying that as a "problem" with CFLs...

DO NOT use a vacuum or brooms to clean up broken CFL's, those tend to spread the fumes. Ventilate the room with the AC turned OFF, so as not to spread the fumes throughout the house. Scoop them up into a sealable plastic bag. If you have carpet, pick up the pieces with tape; you can use a vacuum after you have cleaned most of it up to get the stragglers.

The people that are really worried about mercury poisoning should probably stop eating fish and shellfish as well. You're more likely to get poisoning from that... unless you plan on breaking a CFL once a week or so. Also, if there are any coal power plants in use by your utility company make sure to tell them to stop. They release a lot of mercury into the atmosphere.

The ones with the real problem are the miners that will be working to keep up with the mercury demand. They are the ones that should really be worried.

Oh, WHATEVER, current light bulb lovers. Let's see, you pay more in electricity and replacing bulbs, get the same quality of light, and you want the right to do this? You know what you have the right to do with your bulbs and money? Go fill your house with them now and stop screaming about the switch over and how your world is collapsing.

God, people will yell about anything.

I have had a mixed bag experience with CFLs. Some last 3 months, some last much longer. Bottom line is they are unproven.

What are people supposed to use with ceiling fans (CFLs aren't supposed to be used in them)? What are we supposed to use for outdoor lighting in the winter (CFLs don't work so great in the cold)? Bulbs break, they just do. Even well-behaved kids have their moments, and I've been known to drop the occasional bulb. How are we supposed to deal with the results of a breakage?

@MsWheezer, I use CFL's in my ceiling fans without much of a hitch. The only problem I have is glass bulb/shield/cover for the ceiling fan no longer fits properly since the CFL bulb is a little longer than the cover allows.

I also use CFL's for outdoor porch lighting, and it was about 5 degrees here yesterday, It worked but just took some extra time to warm up.

I hope some of you guys realize that "flourescent" bulbs have been used for dacades. The only reason why it wasn't adopted to homes much is because of the extra fixture cost and the commonplace edison screw in slot.

COMPACT flourescent lamps are just that...the miniturazation of electronics and the reduction of production costs that they can do it for a disposables.

Go into any office building where they really value "lighting" and count edison bulbs. This has been this way for decades. You can believe all the reporters and hearsay about how this "new technology" is so NEW that some ppl who can't think for themselves reject all you want. But in the end it's all because the edison bulb reminds them of their childhood growing up place or something. If it was so "harse" why to they put the overwhelming majority of the work force under 8 hours of it...hmmm....

LED lighting is "new", but flourescents lighting was used before most of you were born.

There are certain people who will simply throw CFLs in the trash. It's pie in the sky thinking to think that they won't.

This was not an area that congress should have mandated. People are trying the CFLs; some like them but many more hate them. I've tried expensive ones and cheap ones and I like neither. I have them boxed in my cellar until the disposal issues are resolved.

Free market would have brought the prices down once the LED (or whatever comes after LED) is perfected and manufacturing is streamlined. By taking incandescent lights off the market, the impetus to lower pricing is removed.

Good intentions but wrong headed thinking.

Oh, you say coal plants put more mercury into the evironment? Then you plug in your electric car! Whatever! Adding more mercury into our landfills/drinking water is NEVER a good thing.

I agree with all those decrying this law. It didn't look at all the issues and assumed that producers would improve their products rather than rushing into production to earn money. By the way, that was what the producers were supposed to do, earn money.

Fact- Lighting manufacture was already leaving this country due to energy costs. China's heavily subsidized energy gives Chinese manufacture a HUGE advantage. Labor costs are a minor factor due to the heavy automation in the bulb manufacturing process. Bulb making was probably one of the first industries to adopt automation; due to the actual processes and the scale of production required.

Fact- Individually, CFL and LED lamps are more efficient at converting electricity into light. However, the color and form of light is different.

Fact- CFLs do NOT produce full spectrum light. Although coatings may be formulated to mask this, all flourescents produce shorter wavelenght (blue) light. This distorts color perception and can lead to depressive states of mind. The actual light is created in the coating by the way.

Fact- LEDs produce light with little dispersion. While "white" light LEDs are available in relatively high power, they project a beam with little spread. This is good for headlamps, flashlights or task-lighting, but poor for general illumenation. To broadcast light from LED sources, most commercial bulbs rely of mirrors and prismatic lenses, resulting in uneven and oddly hued light.

Fact- CFLs contain no more mercury than the typical oral thermometer. However, the problem becomes one of scale. Disposal of CFLs, like the long flourescent tubes, will take place on a daily basis in every community. Unwise dumping on this scale is the real threat.

Fact- Virtually nothing has been written regarding the environmental costs of manufacture of any of these bulbs. What is the environment cost of creating the tungsten filament and its surrounding gas envelope? What is the environmental cost of not only the mercury (including mining and refining) but also the actual flourescing coating applied to the tube? What is the environmental cost of mining and refining the rare earth metal at the heart of the LED, as well as the supporting substrate and associated mirrors and lenses.

This law was a knee-jerk reaction to power-generators and technology companies with a "golden apple" solution. But we find the golden apple won't shine if it is too cold, cannot duplicate natural light, and cannot be made in a format to fit in many legacy fixtures (the fixtures we already have).

Incandescents are "harsh". It's yellow. That's a retarded lighting condition we've had to live with for a long time. It's almost as bad as lighting your house with candles or torches.

Once you get used the the Cool White or Daylight is even beter imo, when you light up a room with incadescents, it looks retarded. Because the area is not supposed to be lit with yellow light to be natural. No respectable office place is lit with yellow light so why should your home be? It's NOT "cozy". that's just pshchological because ppl are resistant to change. That's why there are leaders like the scientists and government to tell you what to do because it moves the human race FORWARD. But alas, there will still be those ppl with lanterns and candle light reading rooms. rofl.

To all you dinosaurs...tough luck. The world moves ahead of you. I bet you're going to respond to this post via your Windows 98 computer.

@killerdrgn - The instructions on the CFLs I have purchased said not to use them in ceiling fans. (Yes, I do read instructions and owners manuals and fine print. I avoid a lot of problems that way.)

rasmasyean,

The reason you see all those fluorescents in office buildings is because they provided cheaper light, granted. But having worked as an editor for decades, I can tell you that the quality of the light--not just the color, which is a separate problem--is inferior. We needed to use incandescent desk lamps in addition to fluorescent lighting in order to be able to see details on a day-long basis. Fluorescent light alone causes eyestrain. If you do much close work and don't have natural daylight to work by, you will notice the difference right away. Now that I am older, I need MORE light in order to see, not less, and not inferior, light.

Forcing people to give up something that is NOT being replaced with an adequate and healthy substitute is unconscionable. I would gladly pay the price of electricity to run my incandescents. No matter how many CFLs I plug in, I still have eyestrain. Already stockpiling.

I am 67 years old and am tired of this mercury scare. When I was a kid we all played with mercury, we took it to school and everywhere else, Thermometers were filled with alcohol or mercury, thousands of children broke them in their mouths and nothing happened.

Someboby is always trying to come up with some new scare tactic.

Sherrie-299765

Given that whatever you are "edititng" might be viewed under incans (like magazines at home), it's understandable that you would need an ican desk lamp to do your work better.

But, I hope you know that LCD monitors / TVs are all flourecent backlit (with the exception of the newer LED monitors). And if you think this also causes headaches, how do you explain CRT headaches. It's not the monitor or the light. Maybe you just need to stop staring at it for 5 hours straight. Some ppl can't take it. Some ppl like graphic artists, computer programmers, etc. either get used to it, or have the natural ability to stare at the same crap for 8 hourse without headaches. But you don't blame the light for your "mental health"!

I am buying as many incandescent bulbs as I can find. I am allergic to flourescent lights and have never had to use them.

I discovered that my idiot legislators have banned them. 100 watts are no longer manufactured in this state and the lower wattage types will be phased out by 2014.

I protested when this bill came up for a vote. I am hoping to file a class action suit because I am totally allergic to flourescent lights.

rasmas

I have a doctor's note for employers. Flourescent lights are super bad for some people.

I wish I could quote this letter verbatim.... something about the flicker and the low pigment in my eye prevent me from seeing correctly and cause my eyes serious strain and fatigue.

Mike B-968599

While I would agree that the amount of mercury in these lights is miniscule compared to what your childhood invovled, there is still cause for concern over long term effects. It's just like asbestos and lead.

For example, how do you know if it wasn't for that broken thermometer in a child's mouth, they would have been a scientist rather than a janitor. Or maybe a professional athelete instead of a clumsy person who breaks bones a lot. You can't predict the future but think of it like if someone was in a car accident and got brain damage, they would be life long dependent vs. an independent person. That much is true.

Yes, MEANGIRL, using incandescent bulbs puts more mercury in the environment than using CFLs. There were approx. 300,000,000 CFLs sold in 2009: each contains about 4mgs of mercury. IF EVERY bulb was broken into landfills, they would add a combined total of 0.12 metric tons of mercury into the environment (mostly buried). Meanwhile, coal fired electric generation contributes 52 metric tons of mercury into the environment (mostly either water or air borne): each 60 W incandescent bulb uses electricity that contributes 4.3mgs of mercury into the environment. SO, since the life of a CFL is about 8 times that of an incandescent, each CFL keeps 30.4mgs of mercury OUT of the environment even if every one of them is intentionally smashed and the mercury scattered (however, if recycled they contribute ZERO % of mercury into the environment). As George Bernard Shaw pointed out: " Beware of false knowledge: it is more dangerous than ignorance."

Just remember how much mercury you're spewing into the atmosphere when down the road you are plugging in your State-Approved and Mandated electric car.

One thing that nobody has addressed is the fact that fluorescent lights can trigger migraines. We tried the CFLs in our living room lamp (before we found out they contain mercury and considered the possible consequences with two very lively cats). My roommate couldn't figure out why she got a migraine every time she sat on the living room couch (next to the lamp) until we changed the bulb back because we found out they contain mercury, and the migraines stopped.

Also, my mom tried the CFLs in the lamps in her home office, and they don't give off nearly as much light as it says it should on the box. A bulb that said it gave off as much light as a 75-watt bulb was actually closer to a 40-watt.

Wow, the arguments by some people here are bogus... Yes, CFL's do contain Mercury, if you dispose of them properly (which is not a hard thing to do) there is no risk of dumping mercury into landfills. Additionally, CFL's do not cause migraines (independent study) and are available in "warm" colors. I have replaced every light in my house with these 2 years ago and yet have to have one burn out. As for LED's, their cost will come down soon, they are amazing. We have them in our other house which is powered by the sun (passive and Photo-voltaic solar technologies) and heated by the earth (5000' geothermal loop).

Geko....no it is not bogus....90% of the people will put the CFLs in the regular garbage and they will not bother with "proper" disposal. I own rental properties and I see them in the garbage all the time....some already in the broken state. The headaches can also come from trying to read in the half light that is produced.....What is bogus is pretending that they produce adequate lighting....Their only purpose is to light an area or hallway where good visibility is not required....

Look...like any product, there are POS CFL's and good CFL's. If you want to pay like $10 for a pack of 10 CFL's at home depo bargain bins then don't expect them to last or give off decent amounts of light or warm up fast, etc. Get the expensive ones from GE of Feit or someting that actually costs $5 (used to be $10) or so each but it still saves money and you don't have to change it much and risk falling off your chair. I've had 10 FEIT 100 W Daylight CFL's for like 6 years and 2 broke. Actually 1 broke (in the bathroom...moisture prolly) and the other got dimmer and took a long time to warm up so I changed it anyway. The other brands break faster for me anyway....when I tried to be too cheap.

If you guys are really worried about mercury poisoning or whatever, don't worry, you will still be able to get your 100W LED's eventually for cheap enough. LED's are really really powerful now, but it's just real expensive. I have a MagLite Flashlight LED ($20) that's about 1/8" by 1/8" square and it's 140 lumens. That's 1 / 11th of a 100W light bulb but look how small it is! You can put 11 of those in less that 1" square! Don't believe me, look up TLE-6EXB and see how tiny that LED is!

When more ppl buy LED's for all sorts of lighting crap it will get cheaper and they can even put 22 of those in less than 1" square and you will have your 200W LED mini bulb!

EDIT ABOVE: The Maglite LED TLE-6EXB is 1/16th by 1/16th inch actually. Silly me...I forgot how to read a ruler. :P

The mercury thing makes me laugh my ass off! The amount of mercury in a single CFL is minuscule, less than 1% the amount of mercury you stuck in your mouth every time you were sick as a kid. They pose virtually no risk of poisoning in the home, certainly no more than the florescent tube in your old desk, under cabinet, bathroom vanity, or aquarium light. They are easily recycled and many major stores offer free drop off of spent bulbs. As for the morons who will just throw them in the trash anyway, better to have a little mercury stuck in a landfill as long as we are reducing the amount of mercury spewed into the air by our coal burning electricity plants.

Backcountry:

Glad you mentioned reducing the amount of mercury from coal-fired power plants. I don't believe anyone mentioned the steps being taken to reduce mercury emissions from these power plants, such as the emission rules in Michigan "requiring all electricity-generating plants to cut their mercury emissions by 90 percent by 2015."

I didn't put mercury directly in my mouth when I was a child. I'm sorry if you did, because it is a known neurotoxin that causes brain damage and other health problems including liver and kidney damage. This is why epa.gov has a pdf that details safety precautions regarding CFL handling and disposal. There are even instructions on how to change a CFL; consumers are encouraged to consider using "a drop cloth (e.g., plastic sheet or beach towel) when changing a fluorescent light bulb in case a breakage should occur. The drop cloth will help prevent mercury contamination of nearby surfaces and can be bundled with the bulb debris for disposal."

I want clean air and water probably as much as you do. I also like to save electricity, since I have to pay for it--the less the better. I just don't see CFLs as a solution. Reducing coal-fired power plant emissions, improving incandescent bulbs and using commonsense--turn off lights when not in use--are saner, safer solutions than attempting to force everyone to use CFLs. In fact, most CFLs will end up in landfills, adding more mercury to our environment.

I didn't put mercury directly in my mouth when I was a child.

The complete phase out of medical mercury-in-glass thermometers didn’t begin until just the last decade and were still the most common type of fever thermometer used well into the 80’s, especially in hospitals and doctors offices. So unless you’re relatively young this statement is probably inaccurate.

Reducing coal-fired power plant emissions, improving incandescent bulbs and using commonsense--turn off lights when not in use--are saner, safer solutions than attempting to force everyone to use CFLs.

Saner? Sorry but you’re living in fantasy land. 1-Reducing emissions means reducing efficiency/-increasing cost, we’ve already reached the point of diminished returns here, there won’t be much more done to improve the emissions from coal fired power plants. 2-Improving incandescent bulbs? Are you serious? The incandescent bulb used today is virtually identical to the one invented by Edison in 1879. You think that after 130 years there’s still room for improvement? 3-Common sense? So you think people who are too lazy to drop their spent CFLs off at Home Depot next time they stop there are going to bother with turning off the light when they leave the room. Obviously anyone who still screws an incandescent light bulb into a socket isn’t too worried about saving a few cents on their electric bill.

In fact, most CFLs will end up in landfills, adding more mercury to our environment.

Is that a fact? Because it sounds a lot more like an opinion. There is no reason to believe that as people get used to the new bulbs they will get used to disposing of them properly also. It wasn’t that long ago that all electronics ended up in the trash can out on the curb. Now recycling options are becoming more and more readily and easily available as mandated recycling programs expand. Sure, initially many of these bulbs will end up in landfills but that will change with time. Also, there is no attempt to “force everyone to use CFLs”. This is a bald faced lie; there are other, more environmentally friendly options available. The cost of these other options will come down as incandescent bulbs are phased out. Please don’t distort the facts to support your stance. It is also deceptive to suggest that CFLs that end up in a landfill “(add) more mercury to the environment”. Modern landfills use a variety of safeguards to prevent contaminates from leaching into the surrounding environment.

The mercury “issue” regarding CFLs is vastly over blown by people who really have little grasp on the true implication. IF the issue were mercury alone maybe there would be a case against CFL,s but the reality is that coal fired plants release a lot more than mercury into the environment. As it stands, from an environmental standpoint, the use of CFLs is still a better option than incandescent bulbs. They may not be perfect and will likely be little more than a stop gap as newer (LED) technologies advance but to suggest that we should continue to light our homes with whale oil lamps because we’re afraid we’ll be electrocuted if we touch a light switch is absurd. Oh wait, my bad. We’ve moved past that and are now on to the fear of the deadly, poisonous light bulbs!!! AAAAHHHHH!!!! GOD SAVE US ALL!!!!!!!

Hey, Jerry194..., what's the deal with laying the blame for this on Obama?

It was president Bush who signed the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. It set performance criteria that incandescent bulbs cannot meet.

Ignorant posters who bad-mouth their favorite whipping boy (segregationist overtones intended) expose monumental ignorance of the facts and their own hate simultaneously.

"dwighthuth

Check out the Nokero Light Bulb it's an effecient light bulb that runs on solar power."

Great idea, but it only works outdoors and when the sun is shining.

No, That is NOT true. We light our back yard with these, they are beautifully bright and last all night, PLUS, they turn themselves off during the day.

"dwighthuth

Check out the Nokero Light Bulb it's an effecient light bulb that runs on solar power."

Great idea, but it only works outdoors and when the sun is shining.

Geko771

No, That is NOT true. We light our back yard with these, they are beautifully bright and last all night, PLUS, they turn themselves off during the day.

ok contradiction right there geko. "we light our backyard with these". do you have a huge 600,000,000 watt light called the sun lighting the solar panel for you to have continuous light all night long or some magic fairy that tinks her wand against the light for continuous light? LEDs fade over time and are obnoxious to use, but also useful at times. I love Christmas lights, and when we were children we would go out driving to look at displays, but now when someone has a Christmas display with LED lights, I instantly get a migraine and have to look down or away when driving past it. (No I haven't hit anyone or anything, thank you though for the thought). I know several epileptic people who can not look at flashing or "strobing" LED lights due to the severe brightness. I have worked with both and both LED and CFL give me migraines due to the artifical brightness they put out. They are great and have many functions, and so do the CFLs but I prefer incandescent. Yes, incandescent were designed to mimic candle and fire light, are known to "soften" harsh surfaces and glares, but I see no reason to ban them. The price of electricity has increased so sharply that you will never really see the benefits of using CFLs and LEDs in ratio to what you could be saving if the cost of everything wasn't getting jacked up.

I think the government is doing this to make money on the sales of incandescent bulbs now because it will make people who wouldn't be paranoid normally go out and spend tons of money to go get cases of these bulbs. Why bother giving us a choice when they ultimately decide what's good or not good for us. It's pretty ridiculous and sad to feel like our country is going down the tubes. This country is turning into a multiple of things listed below and people don't want to see the truth.

" a dictatorship is a form of government that has the power to govern without consent of those being governed (similar to authoritarianism), while totalitarianism describes a state that regulates nearly every aspect of public and private behavior of the people. In other words, dictatorship concerns the source of the governing power (where the power comes from) and totalitarianism concerns the scope of the governing power (what is the government). In this sense, dictatorship (government without people's consent) is a contrast to democracy (government whose power comes from people) and totalitarianism (government controls every aspect of people's life) opposes pluralism (government allows multiple lifestyles and opinions). Though the definitions of the terms differ, they are related in reality as most of the dictatorship states tend to show totalitarian characteristics. When governments' power does not come from the people, their power is not limited and tend to expand their scope of power to control every aspect of people's life."

reference :

That's a pat answer that doesn't offer any solution. The fact there are additional mercury sources doesn't address this concern of piling on additional mercury in our landfills. (The fact you get more radiation from flying on a commercial plane than passing through a screener to get ON the plane, doesn't negate the concern over additional exposure).

Except it isn't a "pat answer": it's a fact. The incandescent uses more electricity to shine and lasts one eighth (or less) as long (calculated to be 4.3mgs of mercury in its share of generated electricity). In it's average lifetime, a CFL will contribute only about 3.4mgs of mercury in its use share of electricity while keeping about 30mgs of mercury out of the environment that the incandescent would be producing (assuming the CFL is recycled or not broken - if broken it would add another 4mgs). So, there is NO additional exposure - there is a huge reduction in total exposure due to reduced emission of mercury during power generation.

But Jim, I get my electricity from a nice clean environmentally friendly nuclear plant. I don't put any mercury into the environment with my incandescent bulbs. I do like CFL and LED lights for some purposes. I also use halogen and xenon bulbs for other purposes. But they just don't meet my needs for all purposes. I still want incandescent lighting for some purposes.

I've purchased two pallets of regular 100 watt incandescent bulbs. They should meet my needs for the rest of my life. Considering that their price would rise anyway as the dollar continues to decline in value, I figure it is a good investment, even if they weren't being banned.

"assuming the CFL is recycled or not broken" -- that's a pretty rash assumption considering I've already seen CFLs in the dumpster at my apartment complex. And if they're broken, you have a hazmat situation. There was a story on our local news about a woman in the DC area (where I live) who called her local Department of Consumer Affairs to ask what to do about a CFL that got broken in her daughter's bedroom. The next thing she knew, she and her kids were evacuated from their home and not allowed to return until the hazmat crew came to clean it up -- and charged her a couple grand for it.

The next thing she knew, she and her kids were evacuated from their home and not allowed to return until the hazmat crew came to clean it up

This is the problem in a nutshell. People hear a story, often secondhand, and by the time they repeat it they’ve mixed up the true facts, if they ever bothered to verify them to begin with. The woman wasn’t evacuated from her home; she was advised to hire an environmental cleanup firm. She wasn’t forced to nor did she need to. Florescent bulbs have been used in homes since the 50’s at least and florescent tubes are much, much easier to break than CFL’s. So now this is a hazard all of a sudden?

I use them only when I fish at nite, other than that, they stay packed away.

"madreader

Why should we as americans have to pay for these very expensive CFL and led bulbs, when the rest of the world ( China,India etc...) constantly pollute the enviroment. If we do our part , it doesn't matter - the other countries are not stopping the pollution. The only advantage to the people in the United States is the satisfaction of paying higher prices for lighting."

I suspect that incandescent light bulbs were expensive when they first hit the market.

Do you suppose that the price for CFLs and LEDs will come down, as more of them are produced and there is more competition to make them?

Also, I suspect that we consumers will drive the production of the bulbs that have the features, that we want. Maybe the complaints, listed in this thread, will be addressed in the near future, so that almost everyone will be happy with the new bulbs.

Shut up and use them, you need them, they are good for you.
Barry said so.

We are hardly the only ones, we are joining: The entire European Union, Malaysia, India, The Philippines, Canada, Cuba, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, and Venezuela.

Eventually, due to demand, the CFLs and LEDs will be so cheap that the entire world will most likely switch.

http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5920

Many developing countries have shown strong CFL market share in recent years as well: 14 percent of sales in China in 2003, for instance, and 17 percent in Brazil in 2002.

Those numbers are even higher now but I can't find the numbers at the moment.

Who is Barry?

The phase-out legislation was signed by President Bush about three years, so you've all had plenty of time to adjust.

jerry,

check your history - actually, Dubyuh signed the bill, not Barry Hussein.

Eventually, due to demand, the CFLs and LEDs will be so cheap ...

Actually, increased demand increases prices...

@Cathleen, Don't forget about economies of scale, which drastically lowers prices.

"Shut up and use them, you need them, they are good for you.
Barry said so."--------------------------

Yes, JERRY, Barry does say so: too bad for your prejudices that George was in office when the legislation was passed - but Barry does still say so ( good for Barry for having a brain ).

In most places world-wide Incandescent lights are already banned.

Only manufacturing is banned, selling them is not. Don't worry, China will be glad to supply them along with everything else.

"Joe Nobody-2760357

I use CFL's where I can, but they simply cannot take the place of incandescent in all places. They don’t make CFL’s in certain sizes (chandeliers), CFL’s simply do not work as security lights in cold weather, but my single biggest complaint is they simply do not last anywhere near as long as they claim. This is especially true in a fixture that gets turned on and off frequently.

Outlawing them was another piece of misguided government legislation. Let the people decide what they want to use."

You can get CFLs with a candelabra base for chandeliers. They are not as attractive, though as the incandescents.

http://www.greenelectricalsupply.com/candelabra-compact-fluorescent.aspx

We don't always have the option to buy anything we want to use.

Seems like the same people who complain about buying oil from our enemies, are the same ones who want to keep buying more foreign oil and drilling for more oil here, so that they can hang onto their inefficient appliances.

I guess that raising MPG standards for vehicles and raising efficiency standards for A/C, refrigerators, water heaters, etc., was an unnecessary intrusion into our lives and freedom, too. These rules are saving us millions of barrels of oil, per day, that we are not buying from our enemies.

Unfortunately, these people are the reason that these kinds of laws have to be passed. Voluntary compliance doesn't seem to work with business or with the American people, even when compliance is in their own best interest.

If you want to try to be a patriot, then why not do something that doesn't take a lot of effort and helps this country with her energy crisis, instead of whining because one of your choices to create more pollution is being taken away from you?

Uh huh your post is the reason why government feels free to legislate and why automobile have increased in price by slightly twice the cost of inflation.

CFL (or LED) - try using one as your oven light.

China will be glad to supply them along with everything else.

I noticed how the article mentioned "don't bother going to Canada or Europe...". Funny how they forgot about China, India, Mexico, and others!

Making this illegal to manufacture in the US is only going to move MORE jobs to other countries.

We wouldn't HAVE to buy oil from our enemies if environmentalist whackos didn't have politicians in their hip pockets who prevent us from harvesting oil from our own lands (of which we have PLENTY--check out the Bakken).

We wouldn't have to buy mercury-laced CFLs if G.E. didn't have politicians in their back pocket that would MAKE us buy them, so that GE could make a boatload of money, and so that enviro-whackos could feel some sense of smug superiority in having their will imposed on others, and in the process feel like somehow they're going to control warming or cooling of the earth, even though we have no more control over the earth's climate than we do the rising and setting of the sun.

You ascribe authority and omniscience to some almighty governmental bureaucrat or politician who wouldn't know his backside from a hole in the ground as some kind of expert, just because they're elected or work in an EPA office; without any thought as to whether they either know what the heck they're talking about in the first place; or worse yet, whether they're feeding a bunch of BS to mushrooms in the dark so as to line their own pockets and/or prolong their power and control.

But go ahead, sheeple. Keep on trusting Big Brother to determine what is well and best for you, and to wipe your behind when you need it. Never. I mean NEVER--think for yourselves.

Wow, Puddleduck, I’m more than a little taken back by your reply. I list 3 reasons why CFL’s just aren’t ready to take the place of incandescent in all applications, you sort or address one of them (while admitting it isn’t a real solution in all cases), ignore the other two then go into a diatribe about how the government knows what is better for me than I do. Even more amazing I list the points from personal experience in a very matter of fact tone, and get a whining reply going off about me whining, not trying and somehow questioning my patriotism.

My point was that the technology just isn’t there. This isn’t something they should be making laws on in the first place, but more importantly the people who made this particular law did so prematurely.

Maybe you need to switch to decaf. You might try actually reading peoples replies. Also don’t make so many judgments about the people you don’t know on the other side of the keyboard.

Have had CFLs outside for 8 years (still wotking too) and even at below zero weather they work fine.

For chandolier etc -- try LED they now come in flame shaps etc and you will put them in once and never again as they will last 20 years

Get glasses because that is absurd you think you can't read by a a CFL, any CFL.

That is just a stupid comment- we have eyeglasses! The light output is just not the same!

Those stupid new light bulbs are not as bright as the old ones. And I already have glasses.

I couldn't agree more. I'm in Europe once or twice a year and have long referred to it as the dark continent due to the CFL use. I've been in European hotel rooms with every light turned on and I still can't comfortably read at night because the light quality is horrific. At home, I read comfortably at night at home with a single 25 watt bulb. The claimed cost reductions also don't consider that the energy benefits require you to leave the bulbs on for an extended period of time to counter the cost of turning on the bulb, and require a warm environment (>74F) for full light. Short term or cold CFL use (bathroom, outdoor security, basement, attic, etc) actually costs more. How many 10s of millions of dollars were put into lobbying for this disaster? Repeal it, and let the market decide.

I agree. Most of these comments condemning CFL's are ridiculous. I am all for constructive criticism on new products and trends but I am still surprised that people are this anti-environment/anti-government. The mercury levels in CFL bulbs is not nearly as high as many here believe and not nearly as dangerous. Unless you're moron that changes your lightbulbs with a baseball bat. The people who argue against these bulbs are probably the same people that toss trash out their humvee on their way to work every morning, and leave every light on in the house 24/7. CFL's, electric cars, and green living may not be perfect yet but they are a step in the right direction. Better to be attempting to make the world better for future generations then to run it into the ground.

For all of you complaining about low light output, buy the daylight CFL bulbs, they are much nicer, throw off more light, higher quality, and use the same amount of electricity as the regular CFL's. Make sure they have a kelvin rating of 6,500K or higher.

Killerdrgn,

Unfortunately many, if not most, packages do not list the kelvin rating of the light emitted. I expect that this problem will become worse has CFLs will become increasingly marketed through discount or dollar stores, chain grocers, and big box stores which only recognize UPC codes, not the products they sell.

Get glasses because that is absurd you think you can't read by a a CFL, any CFL

Perhaps you should ask an Eye Doctor how "good" this lighting is for your eyes. Flourescents are terrible lights to read by! Unbelievable!!

@Bill, True, but if you shop around for daylight bulbs you will find a bunch that do state the K rating. This like every other consumer issue is really about shopping around and finding the right product/brand.

The reason is because of the type of CFL you have: the common "soft" light CFL emits a light that is (for lack of a better term) "pinkish orange" ( so does your "soft white" incandescent - it's just not as obvious ). If you buy the "daylight" CFLs you will get an amazing brilliant white light ( it will say "daylight" on the package ). The light is so intense, many people don't like them, but I do - have them in every light in the place. You will be amazed at the difference.

Or Costco, or possibly even your electric company (mine has a booth set up at work each year during lunch and sells them for dirt cheap).

The daylight ones are awesome. The difference in lighting is huge. I had to be careful, though, when I first started used them (just 2) in my living room's wall sconces. While I was usually fine leaving the old soft white incandescent bulbs on until I went to bed, the daylight CFLs HAD to be turned off more than a hour before if I wanted to fall asleep easily. I'd bought mine at Walgreens when they were cheaper to buy individually than in a set of 2, something like $2 each or a set of 2 for $4.50 (yeah, I know I never figured that one out either and eventually someone must have pointed it out after quite a few months because they not only corrected it, but both prices jumped).

I had purchased all the CFLs myself for my apartment, so I took them with me when I moved. (In that place, elec. was included in the rent, but I wanted to keep my usage down) The daylights replaced the vanity's bulbs in my new bathroom. The only thing I don't like is that I never noticed they glow green after they're turned off. I had a set in my old place's track lighting in addition to the sconces and the few times that was in use, I'd never seen that happen. The regular soft white CFLs don't seem to do that. The previous tenant left his CFLs installed in the stove hood and over the sink, nice savings for me and none of those glow afterward and neither does the one in my desk lamp, only the daylights do that.

I bought the LED Christmas lights a while back for my old place for that old dorm-room style of party lights. (Okay, I'd put the first set up for my first Christmas in that place and never got around to taking them down, so sue me :D ) They worked as nice and festive low-level lighting. Compared to the older Christmas lights I'd been using, the LEDs were noticeably brighter.

Edit: sometimes around Earth Day, IIRC, some grocery stores will mark them down as well, watch those flyers!

I like these from Home Depot a lot!

http://www.homedepot.com/Electrical-Light-Bulbs-Compact-Tube-Fluorescents-Compact-Fluorescents/h_d1/N-5yc1vZbmat/R-100687001/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

I guess you still drive on bias ply tires and burn leaded gas in your car. We swithced to CFLs almost three years ago and my energy bill is over $40.00 a month less. That's almost $1,500.00 in savings. You should have your wiring checked because I have only replaced a couple of bulbs since the conversion. I plan to install LED lighting under my kitchen counters soon. So go ahead and buy yourself a lifetime supply on incandescent bulbs, you are the one paying your energy bills.

And what if your wiring is bad? You have to rewire your house or spend a fortune on more bulbs? I had the same problem in my last rental... Stopped buying them for that house.

I don't have a problem with them necessarily through out the house but I will apparently have to stock pile incandescents for my bathrooms and certain lamps. I agree the color on ALL of them is icky.

Diamond,

My savings are hard to tell in that I need nearly twice the rating to get the same light. Plus I had to remove the only attractive part of an ugly chandelier (the globes) to use the damn things. It did make the frequent replacement easier though. Part of the not seeing savings may be the rise in electric rates.

Regarding recycling, our local community recently passed on ordinance, with no real enforcement provision, outlawing the disposal of "electronics". So it is against the law to throw away and old radio, it must be recycled (no collection available, it must be hauled across town to a hazardous, poorly run semi-private dump) but we have NO recycling collection point of any flourescent products. Same damn goverment logic.

@Bill, Where do you buy your electronics? Best Buy, Target, Home Depot, Staples, Etc are all authorized electronics recyclers. You can search for your authorized local recyclers here.

http://earth911.com/

Killerdgn,

I live in a small SE Indiana town, we have a Staples that accepts ink cartridges for remanufacture and a Radio Shack that accepts small batteries for disposal. The local vehicle and implement battery dealers all charge for battery recycling. This is the truth in large parts of the country; population density is not sufficient to deal with the needs through business. We have limited tire, metals and plastics recycling, but nothing for most other products, short of hauling it 60 miles or more.

My real point was despite Federal regulations on flourescent lamp disposal, no provision is available locally for business or indivduals to to properly dispose of them. CFL's only add to the problem.

Yeah that is funny, and pretty typical of Americans. We INVENTED the light bulb and now 100 years later we are so locked in the past that we still want our incandescent and our coal plants...kind of ironic.

Change is always superior (8 tracks anyone?)

"AP-1414066

Change is always superior (8 tracks anyone?)"

Screw you!! They'll take away my 8 tracks when they pry my cold dead fingers from them.

China will make us ANYTHING :D

I don't have a problem with them necessarily through out the house but I will apparently have to stock pile incandescents for my bathrooms and certain lamps. I like saving money but the color is terrible no matter what color it claims to be. Not to mention in my last house had wiring problems and replacing them cost a ridiculous amount of money. And no I would never pay to rewire a rental house and no a landlord is not going to pay to rewire a house to save a tenant money.

Fine. Use the mercury-laced CFLs until the cows come home. That's your prerogative in a free market. The problem comes when you or someone else dictates what kind of light bulbs others MUST use, in some Quixotic quest to 'save' that which does not require saving.

You want to use CFLs, fine. Just get the hell out of OUR HOUSES and OUR lives!

Hi,

They have had CFL's without delay for several years now. The ballast has been changed to turn on like a conventional light. Here's a link

Whoops

I didn't know General Electric(GE)was Chinese!!

GE might not be Chinese, but where do you think they make a lot of their products? Not in their light bulb factory in Winchester, Virginia, any more.

Congress has plenty of hindsight... their view of their backsides is unobstructed with their heads firmly planted inside of them.

What we need is a congress with FORESIGHT-- instead of routinely and blindly passing 'feel-good' legislation based on chicken-little science, without any regard whatsoever of the consequences.

$50 a month? Are you Al Gore? My entire monthly electric bill isn't $50 (except in summer when air conditioning is required).

Check these out I lived in NH where just yesterday it was -9. I also used cold weather fluorescents in my garage the long tube variety. They take a little longer to warm up but they put out good light.

Whoops!

Lava Lamps aren't really antiques, are they?

Cathleen:

Lava Lamps aren't really antiques, are they?

Maybe not, but some of us (me included) who bought them back in the 60s when they came out certainly are : }