i was told by someone that compact fluorescent lamps have excessively high levels of mercury vapor in them. so much so that factory workers manufacturing them have been known to be in danger from being exposed to this particularly high amount of mercury. this is in reference to the bulbs, not the fixtures just to clarify. i should have asked this person where they got their information from because i should know better then to believe just anything someone tells me. i decided to try and do some fact checking and see if this person is onto some important information regarding the safety of all of us fish keepers (as well as our pets and family members) or were they just misinformed or something. i have had a hard time finding objective information to confirm or deny this. most websites end up talking about European recycling requirements or something else that is not helpful. and then i tried wikipedia, and i know that wikipedia may be completely full of lies but it did say something that bothered me in it's article on compact fluorescent lamps:
"Mercury poisoning of Chinese factory workers
In the past decade, hundreds of Chinese factory workers who manufacture CFLs for export to first world countries were being poisoned and hospitalized because of mercury exposure. Examples include workers at the Nanhai Feiyang lighting factory in Foshan, where 68 out of 72 were so badly poisoned that they required hospitalization. At another CFL factory in Jinzhou, 121 out of 123 employees were found to have excessive mercury levels, with one employee's mercury level 150 times the accepted standard."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_fluorescent_lamp#Mercury_poisoning_of_Chinese_factory_workers
i wanted to run this by you guys and see if ya'll know if these claims are true or false as well as if it is safe to use these lamps for use in this hobby.
By the way, i would like to make it perfectly clear that i am creating this post as a concerned consumer/citizen who is legitimately concerned for the well being of myself, my family, and my pets. i am NOT trying to make any political statements or be a journalist and start muckraking like Upton Sinclair did with The Jungle. i do not have an axe to grind with any company that makes these lights. i am not trying to be an activist. etcetera etcetera etcetera ad infinitum ad nauseum. i really just want to know if it is safe to use these lamps, because i have one and i refuse to use it unless i know it poses no real threat to my health. i also am concerned for all of ya'lls well being as i know i am not by any means the only person that has one of these. i will in fact be very excited to be able to use my fixture again if it turns out to be safe because it's really expensive to replace and id rather save money and use what iv got, you know what i mean? just to clarify
"Mercury poisoning of Chinese factory workers
In the past decade, hundreds of Chinese factory workers who manufacture CFLs for export to first world countries were being poisoned and hospitalized because of mercury exposure. Examples include workers at the Nanhai Feiyang lighting factory in Foshan, where 68 out of 72 were so badly poisoned that they required hospitalization. At another CFL factory in Jinzhou, 121 out of 123 employees were found to have excessive mercury levels, with one employee's mercury level 150 times the accepted standard."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_fluorescent_lamp#Mercury_poisoning_of_Chinese_factory_workers
i wanted to run this by you guys and see if ya'll know if these claims are true or false as well as if it is safe to use these lamps for use in this hobby.
By the way, i would like to make it perfectly clear that i am creating this post as a concerned consumer/citizen who is legitimately concerned for the well being of myself, my family, and my pets. i am NOT trying to make any political statements or be a journalist and start muckraking like Upton Sinclair did with The Jungle. i do not have an axe to grind with any company that makes these lights. i am not trying to be an activist. etcetera etcetera etcetera ad infinitum ad nauseum. i really just want to know if it is safe to use these lamps, because i have one and i refuse to use it unless i know it poses no real threat to my health. i also am concerned for all of ya'lls well being as i know i am not by any means the only person that has one of these. i will in fact be very excited to be able to use my fixture again if it turns out to be safe because it's really expensive to replace and id rather save money and use what iv got, you know what i mean? just to clarify
