Ask Sid: Are Energy-Efficient Light Bulbs Dangerous Because of the Mer...

Are Green Light Bulbs Dangerous

Q. Although they save money, I’ve heard that energy-efficient light bulbs are dangerous. True? A. Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) contain a small amount of mercury, and you need to take precautions if they break. But reports of the risk of these energy-efficient bulbs, which last 10 times longer and use up to 75 percent less energy than similar incandescent bulbs, are greatly exaggerated on the rumor mill and in alarmist bulk-sent e-mails. In reality, a CFL light bulb contains between 1.4 and 4 milligrams of mercury within its glass tubing; by comparison, older thermometers have about 500 milligrams. There is no risk of mercury exposure unless a CFL breaks, and if that occurs, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends that you open windows, shut off any heating/air conditioning system and leave the room for at least 15 minutes. Wear disposable gloves and use cardboard, tape or a damp paper towel to pick up broken pieces (a vacuum can spread mercury into the air). Then place bulb remnants in a sealed plastic bag, place that into another plastic bag, and discard in the trash. Burned-out but intact CFLs should be recycled at The federal Energy Star program offers information on and additional details on . Sid Kirchheimer writes about consumer and health issues.
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