Compact Flourescent Light Bulbs: Still a Bright Idea

Using compact fluorescent lightbulbs cuts to the heart of several urgent problems. CFLs reduce energy consumption, curb electricity bills, reduce heat-trapping emissions of carbon dioxide, and reduce our dependence on dirty coal and other polluting ways of generating electricity.

The cleanest and cheapest energy is the energy we never have to produce. When you choose a CFL, you use ¼ the electricity you would have used if you’d stuck with an incandescent bulb. The EPA estimates that if every household in the United States replaced just one incandescent light bulb with a CFL, together we would remove enough pollution from the air to equal removing one million cars from the road.

Does the mercury in a CFL pose a health risk?

According to an EPA fact sheet [PDF], “research indicates there is no immediate health risk to you or your family should a bulb break and it’s cleaned up properly.” CFLs contain a miniscule amount of mercury (the average CFL has about 4 milligrams of mercury compared to 2 grams encapsulated in a home thermostat), and airborne mercury poses a very low risk of exposure. Mercury poses a far greater danger when it is deposited from the air and transformed into highly toxic methyl mercury.

“Keep in mind that CFLs significantly reduce the amount of mercury released into the environment because they reduce the amount of energy generated by coal-fired power plants, the main source of mercury in the United States,” says OEC staff member Chris Hagerbaumer. “This is true even in Oregon, where our mix of electricity is about 30% coal compared to a nationwide average of about 50%.”

So by all means, use CFLs, but do your very best to recycle the bulbs at the end of their life.

How to properly handle and recycle used CFLs

Homeowners in the Portland metro area can recycle CLFs at one of Metro's household hazardous waste sites. Other cities in Oregon also offer recycling services. To find a CFL recycler near you, visit lamprecycle.org or earth911.org. On the Earth 911 website, you’ll need to enter your zip code, then select “mercury-containing items” from the household hazardous waste list.