I don't disagree that there is additional exposure potential from this source and agree with other comments you make. I do wonder however what reduction in mercury emissions from coal fired powered stations are made by wholesale use of CFLs.
Whilst lighting represents what might be considered a 'significant' part of a household's electricity input budget, it is actually relatively insignificant compared to the 'real' energy consumers like ovens and heaters and microwave ovens and so on. Many of us could save at least 50% of our lighting energy input, by actually educating members of our households to turn off lights when they are not in use. Also, home lighting power requirements, where CFLs are aimed, is practically insignificant compared to industrial useage of electricity, so whilst a reduction in overall consumption may well be detectable if every house in the country changed all of its lighting to CFL, overall the difference would be small compared to what most people think it would, based on the ill-informed rubbish on the subject, that we are being fed.
Bear in mind also that only around 30% of the UK's current electricity demand is met by coal-fired power stations, and the emmissions of these are becoming subject to ever more stringent regulation.
Like you, I don't subscribe to the hysteria that you sometimes find written about mercury spillage from CFLs and the need for 'toxic cleanup crews' and other sensationalist nonsense, but it does concern me a little that these things will find their way into the environment in general, in potentially huge quantities, if the total ban on incandescents goes ahead. With the best will in the world, many people do not / will not / cannot recycle CFLs responsibly, by taking them to their local tip - even if *they* have the facilities and knowledge to deal with them.
These things break very much easier than a conventional spherical light bulb - which is why they need more and heavier gauge packaging, and which is another thing against them - and it also concerns me that if they do break, not only is a small quantity of mercury vapour released, but also there is the potential for the phosphor powders coating the insides of the glass discharge tube to be released. Now again, I'm not going to make out that this is a huge potential toxic problem, but it could have significance if it were to be ingested by a child, for instance. Contrary to what you believe about asbestos not being especially dangerous, it has been conclusively shown that as little as one fibre can sit dormant in a lung for perhaps 20 years, before causing horrible death by mesa thelioma. Who's to say that the chemical phosphors employed in CFLs might not be equally long-term harmful ? A tiny risk, I know, but like the mercury one, still a new one that wasn't there with the benign constituents of an incandescent bulb. And tiny risks add up, when you start to factor in quantities of them.
I'm not totally against CFLs. They have their uses and are an interesting and novel lighting product. What I do get wound up about, is the way that the green mist brigade sell the concept of them as a 'one size fits all' replacement technology for incandescents, with only their energy saving angle being publicised. They are *not* a drop-in replacement for incandescents, and are in fact highly unsuitable in many applications. They also have many ecological disadvantages which are never discussed. The only reason that they are being offered at the ridiculous below-cost subsidised prices that they are, is because deep down, people realise that they are not quite what they are being led to believe, and are resisting taking them up. Virtually giving them away - indeed some supermarkets actually *have* given them away - is the only way that they can lead people by the nose, en masse, into fitting them. The fond hope is then that where they are not particularly suitable, punters will just accept them anyway as "Not too bad is it dear ?" "No luv, and it'll save us money and help to save the planet as well !" Nicely 'conditioned' then, for when it's the *only* light bulb they can buy
I just wish that we could move away from the stagnation that seems to have overtaken the population now, and start to think for ourselves a little more again. We really should not just be sitting back swallowing all of the eco-bollox that we are being fed by self-serving politicians and 'scientific' consultants (read gravy train government-employed pseudo-scientists who are really just company directors). In recent years, we have been 'nannied' to the point where we don't question anything that is being put to us any more, and it really needs to stop before it's too late ...
Arfa
If the amount is minimal why aren't they allowed to go to landfill. They can't go to landfill but it is ok for the debris from a breakage to be dumped all my kids bedroom. Am I allowed to sweep it up and put it in the landfill dustbin?
Interesting!. I used to have the occasional poke about on sci.electronics.design but the group seemed to be moving to just banalities and egofests. Hence for a few months have been reading the DIY stuff (another love of my life) here. Somewhat surprised at the number of straightforward, interesting, down to earth, electrical/electronic topics that turn up here. Strange world!. Yep. the wattmeter is viable commercially. A nice 50:50 split between the analogue and micro stuff and little overall cost courtesy of the micro handling the sampling, LCD and maths. Sadly though, I'm an idle bastard and find it far easier to earn a crust just doing project work for my industrial customers :). Discovered a few gigs of free web space with my Zen isp, so toying with ideas about putting some projects like this up on the web. I take your point about the modern chips. The signal processing 'functionality' that can be offered to customers is unbelievable. A notable example is what's inside the Freeview boxes. ( Doesn't excuse though which ever Chinaman designed my 15 month old PC power supply. No PFC. A 0.45 PF and a current waveform that could be straight from a triac dimmer :)
Have you had a look at any of the data sheets for these latest generation 'eco-friendly' switch-mode controller ics, with their burst standby modes ? They make very interesting reading, Some of them are truly amazing now. Titsy little sm devices with 380v on them ...
I would be very interested in seeing a schematic or block diagram even, for your power meter. I have been looking around for a 'good' one for some time, and I do enjoy having something to build. If you have anything electronically 'on paper' that you wouldn't mind me having a squint at, the address that this is posted from, works.
Have you considered submitting it as an article to Elektor magazine ? That sort of project is right up their street these days, and a little while ago, they were advertising for contributors.
Arfa
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.