You see, Congress had to pass a law to rid us of the old incandescent bulbs because they were still being made in the USA, in spite of 'free trade'.
Now we import all our CFL bulbs
from China.
And the bulbs are just the same as incandescent ones except:
* They're a completely different color light.
* They emit ultraviolet light, which causes skin cancer and eye damage.
* The bulbs provide an efficient way for China to get rid of their toxic stores of mercury.
And remember if you break one,
you're fucked.
From the EPA's own guide on how to clean up a broken CFL bulbs:
EVACUATE THE ROOM!
OPEN WINDOWS AND AIR IT OUT FOR AT LEAST 15 MINUTES!!!!
SHUT DOWN ANY AC OR HEATING SYSTEM YOU HAVE RUNNING!
JESUS CHRIST, DON'T VACUUM THAT GLASS UP!!!!
Continue to air out the room where the bulb was broken and leave the heating/air conditioning system shut off
for several hours (That's NOT a joke).
http://www.epa.gov/cfl/cflcleanup.html
But other than that, CFLs are basically the same as incandescent bulbs.
*Mercury vapor can cause effects in the central and peripheral nervous systems, lungs, kidneys, skin and eyes in humans. It is also mutagenic and affects the immune system
http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/healthguidelines/mercuryvapor/recognition.html/
But hey, that lower electric bill (by $0.23) is pretty nice, isn't it??
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/31/2012 11:37PM by trogdor!.