We Specialize In ....

• Energy reduction with savings up to 92%, Thousands of Dollars monthly and annually saved on utility billing!
• Eliminating maintenance & labor costs!
• Improve building value by 7%!
• Federal and state Tax credit programs by up to $1.80 per sq’ – Energy 179 Deduction!
• Utility funds, rebates & financial programs to compensate in the upfront installation and investment costs!
• “$0.00” out of pocket expense program available in specified regions!  

Mercury In The Environment ...

• Fluorescent light tubes contain approximately 20mg of mercury per tube.
• Compact fluorescent light bulbs also contain a remarkable amount of toxic mercury - 4mg to 6mg per bulb.
• Each 4mg of mercury can contaminate 6,000 gallons of fresh water.

Dangers from CFL's

Sunlight, Lighting And Your Health
(Dangers Of Fluorescent Lighting)

"The writer draws the attention to the common claim that fluorescent lights are more efficient than orthodox Edison light bulbs. It is true that fluorescent lamps are more efficient to the tune of some thirty to eighty per cent (30 - 80%) but at a high health risk cost."

"As always of an investigative mind, I decided to search further into this problem pertaining to these lights having found that the entire matter involved the "radio light spectrum" and other light frequencies which are invisible to the human eye whilst, however, radiating high levels of "radio active" energy containing the frequencies of x-ray, gamma and cosmic rays. There is no solution, even with total lead shielding of the starter unit, transformer capacitor sections and the tube cathode areas as it leaves the illuminating area of the tube itself free to radiate all manner of radio frequency and mercury vapour energies. The only way out is to outlaw them completely."

"Too many people, including doctors and general hospital staff, are spending far too much time indoors (an unfortunate occupational hazard as also found within other professions and trades) subjecting themselves to this continuous bombardment of colourless radioactive radiation from fluorescent lights, the worst of which are the soft white economical plug-in bulbs. These bulbs, although physically small, are nevertheless hazardous."

This is an important article given the current efforts to reduce energy. Sadly, this may come at the expense of health.
At great consternation I have switched to all tungsten Sylvania daylight bulbs...And it does make a difference at least in visual acuity. The bulbs I suspect use Neodynium coating to produce a daylight analog and hence are even less efficient than the standard tungsten lights but the better acuity tends to compensate this disadvantage. Further investigation still needs to be done on the effects from Neodynium energy spectrum - never simple is it? At the moment I am looking into tungsten based daylight lamps made by Solux which appear to be the closest to daylight

Chris Gupta

Sunlight, Lighting And Your Health

THIS IS A WIDELY IMPORTANT ISSUE WHICH AFFECTS EVERY ONE OF US AND REFERS TO A PUBLICATION IN A NEW ZEALAND NEWSPAPER, THE "EASTERN BAY NEWS" OF WHAKATANE, DATED 1st MAY 2003 TITLED "SAVING POWER WITH THESE TOP ENERGY WISE TIPS"
Dr. Robert Adams
Copyright © 2003 NZ

The writer draws the attention to the common claim that fluorescent lights are more efficient than orthodox Edison light bulbs. It is true that fluorescent lamps are more efficient to the tune of some thirty to eighty per cent (30 - 80%) but at a high health risk cost.

Having been involved with problems pertaining to these lights some many years ago, i.e., during the late 1950's, I was commissioned to remove every fluorescent light fitting in every Totalisator Agency Board office throughout New Zealand for the purpose of fitting radio interference suppressors to eliminate radiated noise developed by the fluorescence radiation of the lights (more on this matter and its relevance to health a little further on) and simultaneously installing anti-interference antenna systems which I had invented and patented at that time.

As always of an investigative mind, I decided to search further into this problem pertaining to these lights having found that the entire matter involved the "radio light spectrum" and other light frequencies which are invisible to the human eye whilst, however, radiating high levels of "radio active" energy containing the frequencies of x-ray, gamma and cosmic rays. There is no solution, even with total lead shielding of the starter unit, transformer capacitor sections and the tube cathode areas as it leaves the illuminating area of the tube itself free to radiate all manner of radio frequency and mercury vapour energies. The only way out is to outlaw them completely.

The general public is completely oblivious to this lurking danger to their health. This situation should be addressed with urgency. The general public is entitled to be made aware of this danger to their health and as there is now legislation in place to cover these kind of unforeseen risks attention to this paramount issue should be addressed and enforced immediately. Such action would result in savings of millions of dollars in medical care, not to mention human suffering as a result of the gross ignorance of the health authorities of the dangers involved in the widespread use of these lethal devices.

Millions of fluorescent lights exist in the offices of commerce, in factories, workshops, homes, schools, universities, colleges, airports, cafes and restaurants, hospitals ad infinitum ­ all radiating these dangerous energies into the unsuspecting public worldwide.

The effects of lighting on the human functioning development and psychological effects are indeed profound. Try placing seedlings/plants adjacent to an unshielded fluorescent light at the end where the starter unit is located, they will surely wilt and die, (and this is most certainly not attributable to "heat" radiation, a conclusion some may readily jump to). Unshielded fluorescent lights are a menace to mankind and should be replaced by standard Tungsten filament lighting.
Too many people, including doctors and general hospital staff, are spending far too much time indoors (an unfortunate occupational hazard as also found within other professions and trades) subjecting themselves to this continuous bombardment of colourless radioactive radiation from fluorescent lights, the worst of which are the soft white economical plug-in bulbs. These bulbs, although physically small, are nevertheless hazardous.

The powerful health benefits of man's bodily exposure to direct sunlight, i.e., ultra-violet rays, has been known to the ancients for thousands of years. History has it, however, that it was not taken up as a serious scientific matter by physicians until the 1800s when the healing properties of man's exposure to sunlight became manifest by way of serious observation and, later, more profound study and research. Such research heralded in breakthroughs of success in healing with ultra-violet during the 1870s.

I quote now a paragraph from Jacob Liberman's book "Medicine of the Future" pages 47 - 48 headed "Putting Prisoners in the Pink and Athletes in the Red":

Another recent innovation has been the widespread use of bubble-gum-pink rooms to sedate inmates in prisons across the country. Some sources reported that a reduction of muscle strength happened in inmates within 2.7 seconds. Baker-Miller pink (bubble-gum pink) exerts a physical rather than psychological effect, and it has been proved to calm the most jangled nerves within minutes. Where brute force or sedative drugs were once the only treatment option, small pink holding cells are now used to significantly reduce the incidence of violent and aggressive behaviour. Originally spearheaded by clinical psychologist Alexander Schauss of Tacoma, Washington, the use of Baker-Miller pink has now been advocated in hundreds of correctional institutions throughout the world.

EPA

All Fluorescent bulbs contain mercury. This includes the new energy efficient bulbs, known as Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs). Mercury is a powerful neruotoxin and is one of the most toxic elements on the planet, second only to plutonium.

One CFL bulb, such as the one pictured, contains enough mercury to contaminate 1,000 gallons of water, and it would take approximately 588,589 cubic feet of soil to "safely" contain the mercury from one bulb.

If one of these bulbs breaks in your home the EPA's recommended clean up procedure states that you should immediately evacuate the room and open all windows.  DO NOT SWEEP OR VACUUM as this will cause more Mercury to become airborne and essentially more dangerous. Turn off central heat & A/C...more

When a CFL breaks, two things happen.  Mercury is released in its solid form and also as a vapor. Mercury vapor is one of the most poisonous things anyone can be exposed to. Mercury attacks the central nervous system, lungs, kidneys, liver and the skin and when inhaled as a vapor mercury goes directly into the nervous system.

Mercury has the most significant effects on children and unborn children. For this reason pregnant women and children should be kept away from a CFL break site for at least 30 minutes, preferably 2 hours or more.

Unlike many poisons that can be flushed out of the body, mercury bioaccumulates. This means that the various tissues of the body store the toxin in increasing amounts. This is a particular concern as the use of CFLs increases.

Another Bright Idea

1 broken bulb pushes contamination to 300 times EPA limits
Poisonous vapor so bad, researchers recommend families no longer use CFLs
Posted: August 11, 2008 9:55 pm Eastern © 2008 WorldNetDaily

Compact fluorescent light bulbs have long been known to contain poisonous liquid mercury, but a study released earlier this year shows the level of mercury vapor released from broken bulbs skyrockets past accepted safety levels.

Following a story reported by WND last year about a Maine woman quoted $2,000 for cleaning up a broken fluorescent bulb, or CFL, in her home, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection studied the dangers of broken CFLs and the adequacy of recommended cleanup procedures.

The results were stunning: Breaking a single compact fluorescent bulb on the floor can spike mercury vapor levels in a room – particularly at a child's height – to over 300 times the EPA's standard accepted safety level.

Furthermore, for days after a CFL has been broken, vacuuming or simply crawling across a carpeted floor where the bulb was broken can cause mercury vapor levels to shoot back upwards of 100 times the accepted level of safety.

Following the study, the Maine DEP made eight new recommendations for usage and cleanup of CFLs, including the recommendation to not even use the bulbs in carpeted rooms where children, infants or pregnant women live. The likelihood of breakage, near impossibility of cleanup and risk of prolonged exposure, the study concluded, are just too great.

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences website acknowledges that Brown University published a similar study last month confirming the Maine results: Breaking a fluorescent bulb sends mercury vapor levels to unsafe levels for the elderly, pregnant and young – and those levels remain elevated for days.

The NIEHS website states, "Today’s CFLs underscore mercury's volatile vapor form, which is still a significant health concern – ventilation reduces but does not eliminate this toxicant. Mercury vapor inhalation can cause significant neural damage in developing fetuses and children."

The Dangers of Those Energy-Saving Light Bulbs

Energy-saving device advocated by Al Gore to 'reduce your carbon impact at home' poses mercury dangers and health risks.

http://www.businessandmedia.org/printer/2007/20071008160623.aspxBy Jeff Poor
Business & Media Institute
10/8/2007 4:08:07 PM

It’s listed as the top thing you can do by Al Gore’s Web site on climate change to reduce your carbon impact at home – replacing a regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL).

But Gore doesn’t warn you about what could happen if you improperly dispose of them or even accidentally break one. The Washington Post’s Eco Wise columnist Eviana Hartman reminded readers, “they contain a small amount of mercury, a potent neurotoxin.”

“If you toss the bulbs in the trash, they're likely to break, potentially exposing workers to mercury or releasing it into groundwater and soil from landfills,” Hartman wrote in the October 7 Washington Post.

Hartman reported each CFL contains 5 mg of mercury. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but consider what happened to Brandy Bridges of Prospect, Maine when a CFL broke in her daughter’s bedroom.

“One broke,” Joseph Farah wrote in an April 16 WorldNetDaily story. “A month later, her daughter's bedroom remains sealed off with plastic like the site of a hazardous materials accident, while Bridges works on a way to pay off a $2,000 estimate by a company specializing in environmentally sound cleanups of the mercury inside the bulb.”

Hartman encouraged readers to recycle their dead CFLs or call for a “hazardous waste pickup.” She also gave tips for cleaning up CFLs if they break. However, the April 2 Waste News, a trade publication that focuses on issues pertaining to waste products and the environment, reported there has been little discussion about the environmental hazards because of the hype surrounding global warming hysteria:

“But warning consumers that they have to dispose of compact fluorescents with care may not be in the best interest of those trying to sell them, she [Ann Moore, recycling coordinator for Burlington County, NJ] said. Along with the additional expense and performance concerns, having to deal with disposing of the bulbs could give consumers another excuse not to buy them, she said.

‘You probably don’t want to do that because you’d hate to wreck the momentum,’ Moore said. ‘And that could kill the movement.’”

Another story about the dangers of CFLs and the lack of warning provided by the manufacturers was reported in the April 14 issue of The (Nashville) Tennessean.
    
“Everybody is throwing all this mercury into the garbage. No one knows this. This should be in bold print on the packaging,” Elizabeth Doermann said to The Tennessean after she broke a CFL and vacuumed it up, spreading the mercury contaminants throughout her home.

“She held a new package of the lights from which she had learned about the mercury, only after putting on glasses to read the little print. This was after the vacuuming incident,” Anne Paine of The Tennessean wrote. “A square, dwarfed by the bar code, contained the phrases ‘Mercury’ and ‘Manage in accordance with Disposal Laws,’ a phone number and a Web address. It did not say that used bulbs should be treated as household hazardous waste.”

Dangers of Mercury in CFLs, How to Clean One Up

Details on dangers of mercury in CFLs, and how to clean one up if it breaks
By The Associated Press May 18, 2008 (AP)

A broken compact fluorescent light bulb releases a mercury-containing powder, some of which can evaporate into the air, and is difficult to contain or clean up.

Mercury, a neurotoxin, is thought to have the biggest impact on the developing brains of fetuses, infants and young children through sustained exposure.The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has written guidelines on how to clean up a broken bulb and the mercury. In general, the area should be vented well by opening windows to reduce the mercury air concentrations; mercury should be carefully scooped up using paper or cardboard, or picked up using tape or a sticky material; and the glass and mercury powder should be sealed in a glass jar or plastic bags.