[Rhodes22-list] Environment

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NEWS ANALYSIS
A toxic tinge to green light bulbs?
Anna Salleh
ABC Science Online

Wednesday, 21 February 2007


  
Energy efficient light bulbs contain small amounts of  mercury. So what 
happens to this toxic material at the end of the bulb's  life? (Image: iStockphoto)
Compact fluorescent light bulbs might help in the fight against  climate 
change but could they cause problems with toxic waste down the  track?

The concern comes after the Australian government's announcement  this week 
that it will phase out incandescent light bulbs in favour of the  energy 
efficient variety by 2009-10.

The first Australian life-cycle  analysis of compact fluorescent light bulbs 
(CFLs) says that although they take  more energy to make than the technically 
simpler incandescent light bulbs, their  use leads to fewer greenhouse gas 
emissions.

The 2006 study says this is  because the greenhouse gases emitted in CFL 
production are offset as the newer  bulbs last a lot longer than the traditional 
ones.

The study, published  in The Environmental Engineer, a journal published by a 
subgroup of _Engineeers  Australia_ (http://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/) , 
looked at a CFL that lasts four times longer than an incandescent  bulb.

This suggests that you need to manufacture, transport and  distribute four 
CFLs to produce the same amount of greenhouse emissions as one  incandescent 
bulb.

CFLs are also five times more efficient at using  electricity than 
incandescents, the study found, so these bulbs lead to a  significant net greenhouse 
saving.

According to estimates of the lifespan  of CFLs made by federal environment 
minister Malcolm Turnbull earlier this week,  phasing out incandescent bulbs 
and will eventually save 4 million tonnes of  greenhouse gases per year.

The greenhouse gas saving is supported by  independent experts who spoke to 
ABC Science Online and is based on an estimate  that CFLs last 4-10 times 
longer than the older style bulbs.

Toxic  matters

But there's another side to CFLs that could be not so  environmentally 
friendly.

Electricity in an incandescent bulb runs  through a filament causing it to 
glow. But in CFLs electricity ignites gas  inside the bulb causing it to emit 
ultraviolet rays.

A small amount of  mercury is required to help ignite that gas, and it's this 
mercury that's a  known hazard.

The incandescent bulbs indirectly result in mercury  releases to the 
environment too.

The life-cycle analysis found that when  you consider the mercury produced 
from burning coal for electricity, the energy  hungry incandescent bulbs 
contribute five times more mercury to the environment  than CFLs do.

But most acknowledge that the issue of mercury is likely to  be more 
significant as electricity generation gets cleaner and CFLs become more  widespread.

"It's certainly a way forward and it's certainly better than  burning 
wasteful incandescent lights. But we need to be aware that it is going  to create a 
huge stockpile of toxic waste that needs to be dealt with," says  Jane Castle, 
waste and energy campaigner with the _Total Environment Centre_ 
(http://www.tec.org.au/)  in  Sydney.

She says producers need to be responsible for the safe disposal  and 
recycling of CFLs.

While the lighting industry is generally  supportive of the decision to phase 
out incandescent light bulbs, it is not  promising anything on recycling yet.

Brian Douglas, executive officer of  the _Lighting Council  of Australia_ 
(http://www.lightingcouncil.com.au/) , says the lighting industry is talking to 
government agencies  about "product stewardship".

"The cost of recycling fluorescent lamps is  extremely expensive compared to 
their original cost and this is a significant  factor in recycling," says 
Douglas.

He says CFLs contain at least 5  milligrams of mercury each. 

The 2006 study also found that printed  circuit boards in CFLs could be toxic 
to the  environment.

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