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Maine Law Targets CFL Mercury

Bill will make manufacturers lower mercury content, pay for safe recycling

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted May 29, 2009 3:09 AM CDT

(Newser) – Maine has become the first state in the nation to tackle the problem of mercury in low-energy light bulbs, the Boston Globe reports. A new state law requires manufacturers to reduce the amount of the toxic metal in the bulbs and pay for the cost of safe recycling, a measure expected to add up to a dollar to the cost of each compact fluorescent bulb.

Mercury vapor from broken bulbs can harm babies, children and pregnant women, and the bulbs can pollute the environment if dumped in the trash. "Today almost all of the bulbs are going in the trash, where they can break. People aren't aware of the exposure risk," said one campaigner, who favors wider adoption of the bulbs. Similar bills are pending in Massachusetts and Vermont.

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Compact flourescent bulbs use much less energy than incandescent ones and last longer, but the mercury they contain can cause environmental problems. (©mattbjrs)

In 2007, Americans' move to CFL bulbs lowered greenhouse gases by the same amount as taking 2 million cars off the road. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, file)

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We want people to use CFLs, and this is going to make it much easier for them to recycle them at hardware stores and municipal collection drop-off centers for free. - Michael Bender of the Vermont-based Mercury Policy Project

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COMMENTS

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Showing 2 of 2 comments

AClotfelter

May 29, 2009 8:46 AM CDT

The CFL/Mercury issue is a real one, but just to keep things in perspective, The amount of Mercury in a CFL is less than the amount of Mercury released into the atmosphere by the extra coal that needs to be burned to power an incandescent bulb...

riffran

May 29, 2009 8:32 AM CDT

sure it's better for the enviroment...but it may poison you.....tough choice ....but there is hope...they have a aluminum /saphire sheets that when used with the proper inert noble gas, is way more effecient than both the light bulb and the CFL....but right now only emits in the red wavelength...kinda like the first LED's, but very bright....and as far as I know no mercury to poison us or the landfill

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compact fluorescent bulbs • light bulb • Maine • mercury • low-energy light bulbs

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Maine Law Targets CFL Mercury