Filling Your Home With Mercury Via CFL

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: Lurch
Most of you probably don't need to be as concerned about CFLs as I do.


EXACTLY. You are careful about exposing yourself to things that are hazardous to YOU... Just as I am extremely careful about UV exposure due to my fair skin and family history of skin cancer, or someone else might avoid peanuts because of an allergy.

The first post was a quote from an alleged MD that made it sound as if CFLs are hazardous to EVERYONE. They're not. As another poster pointed out, the added emission of mercury due to increased coal consumption to power inefficient incandescent lamps adds MORE mercury to the environment overall than CFLs do, and most of us can excrete the sub-milligram (micrograms, most likely) that we might be exposed to when we occasionally break a fluorescent tube. Therefore on the whole CFLs are a net good for lowering mercury planet-wide. You probably should avoid all fluorescents in your home because of the risk to YOU from occasional exposure, but if the rest of us use them and lower emissions from power plants, that is also a net benefit to you because it lowers the Hg in your salmon and in the air outside your home.

 

[bkbenjy]

Originally Posted By: PandaBear
This article got to be a joke. CFL has very little mercury in there and yeah, contaminate 6000 gallon of water can be done with less than a quart of engine oil, but you still do oil change right?


Most people have their oil changed at a shop or quick lube. All the shops have their used oil picked up by a company to be recycled. The company processes it by chemical or physical means. Altering the used oil for the production of fuel oil, lubricants or other used oil-derived products. Used oil will never get near water.

When a bulb burns out what do you do? Throw it out. It gets dumped into a garbage truck and cracks. Then its sent to a landfill or burned. If the soil gets contaminated with mercury, could it contaminate the ground water? (Poland Spring mercury water?)

Most people don't know that you can take CFL bulbs to be recycled at home depot and other stores. If they do know, they don't care or want to bother with that.

 

[Lurch]

Originally Posted By: 440Magnum


The first post was a quote from an alleged MD that made it sound as if CFLs are hazardous to EVERYONE.


Personally, I believe they are hazardous to everyone, and what's scary is that the people that don't feel CFLs are hazardous to everyone, tend to haphazardly make the environment more toxic to people like me that Hg is more hazardous to, and unknowingly expose themselves and other living things to toxins that do more harm than good.

Originally Posted By: 440Magnum

Therefore on the whole CFLs are a net good for lowering mercury planet-wide.


Well, hopefully you're right but this is controversial and I don't think I agree with loading up landfills with Hg from CFL bulbs or the CFL idea in general.

Originally Posted By: 440Magnum

You probably should avoid all fluorescents in your home because of the risk to YOU from occasional exposure, but if the rest of us use them and lower emissions from power plants, that is also a net benefit to you because it lowers the Hg in your salmon and in the air outside your home.


Again, hopefully you're right but I'm not convinced of the safety of CFLs and I'm not sure if I ever will be.

I do have some CFLs here. I haven't broken one yet and I hope I never do. I'm careful when I handle them and I try to dispose of them properly and not just throw them into the trash.

 

[Lurch]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8


Microwave radiation is held to much lower limits in Russia than in the US. Ever wonder why?


7 years ago I gave my like new Panasonic microwave oven to the annual animal shelter benefit auction. I'll never eat food from one again.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10 Reasons not to use a microwave (I’m warning you some of these are pretty scary!):

1. Continually eating microwave processed food causes permanent brain damage.
2. The human body is unable to metabolize the unknown by-products created in microwaved foods.
3. Male and female hormone production is shut down and/or altered by continually eating microwaved foods.
4. The effects of by-products remain in the human body long-term.
5. Minerals, vitamins and nutrients are reduced by microwaving so that the body gets little or altered components that cannot be broken down.
6. The minerals in vegetables are altered into cancerous free radicals by microwaves.
7. Microwaved foods cause stomach and intestinal cancerous growths. This may partially explain the rapid increase of the colon cancer rate in America.
8. Long term consumption of microwaved foods causes cancerous cells to increase in human blood.
9. It also causes immune system deficiencies through alterations in the lymph glands and blood serum.
10. Eating microwaved food causes loss of memory and concentration, emotional instability and a decrease of intelligence.

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted By: Lurch

10 Reasons not to use a microwave (I’m warning you some of these are pretty scary!):

1. Continually eating microwave processed food causes permanent brain damage.


No prove that I've ever heard of, any link from a valid medical study?

Quote:
2. The human body is unable to metabolize the unknown by-products created in microwaved foods.


If it's unknown, how do we know it is able to absorb but not metabolize?

Quote:
3. Male and female hormone production is shut down and/or altered by continually eating microwaved foods.


Haven't heard of it, any prove from valid medical study?

Quote:
4. The effects of by-products remain in the human body long-term.


What by product in the first place and if it is unknown in the first place, why is its effects known?

Quote:
5. Minerals, vitamins and nutrients are reduced by microwaving so that the body gets little or altered components that cannot be broken down.


Minerals do not get reduced by anything, vitamins may be destroyed by heat from any cooking method. I'm still eating my vegetable cooked, just eat more of them instead.

Quote:
6. The minerals in vegetables are altered into cancerous free radicals by microwaves.


Food becomes cancerous free radicals in your body when you metabolize it, that's why you take vitamin and anti-oxidant rich food / supplements to neutralize them.

Quote:
7. Microwaved foods cause stomach and intestinal cancerous growths. This may partially explain the rapid increase of the colon cancer rate in America.


There is no prove, the reason for rapid increase of colon cancer is because our diet is not much richer in meat and lower in vegetable, bad eating habits, and much more fast foods.


Quote:
8. Long term consumption of microwaved foods causes cancerous cells to increase in human blood.


Repeats of previous points, but nonetheless, no prove.

Quote:
9. It also causes immune system deficiencies through alterations in the lymph glands and blood serum.


No prove from medical study.

Quote:
10. Eating microwaved food causes loss of memory and concentration, emotional instability and a decrease of intelligence.


No prove from medical study.


Where the heck did you get this from? I avoid microwave because food doesn't taste good from microwave, but it is not because of health reason.

 

[ItsuMitsubishi]

Lurch, first congratulations for removing the mercury from your mouth! You must feel much better after it. As, oh the most deadly heavy metal known, it has no place being in our houses let alone our MOUTH. 3-10mg of mercury would surely concern me.

Mercury is a fantastic IQ reductant and completely sabotages the formation of new neural pathways. This can cause abnormal neurological degeneration manifesting in mood swings, learning impairment, emotional instability, insomnia, motor diseases (ie parkinsons), cognitive afflictions (alzheimers) etc. Just look up "mercury poisoning symptoms".

There is no amount of uneducated popular consensus or mass apathy that could make me forget what I've learned about this heavy metal.

As for microwaves, well, we're all being microwaved right now. 1mW to 100 MW, I'd prefer NOT to be microwaved, but I have more complaints with food processing techniques, where our produce is irradiated by exposure to radioactive isotopes.

Either way, certain agencies will tell you that mercury is GOOD for you and your children. Kind of like how DDT was "good for you and me" And people sprayed themselves with it, ate it... lol, welcome to the 'new world', that's all I have to say about that.

 

[Lurch]

Where the heck did you get this from?


http://www.eatsmartagesmart.com/10-reasons-to-get-rid-of-your-microwave/


No prove from medical study.

No proof it doesn't either. I don't use microwave for several reasons. I use a convection oven mostly.

 

[Tempest]

Official EPA CFL cleanup procedure:
http://www.epa.gov/cfl/cflcleanup.html

 

[Lurch]

Originally Posted By: ItsuMitsubishi
Lurch, first congratulations for removing the mercury from your mouth! You must feel much better after it. As, oh the most deadly heavy metal known, it has no place being in our houses let alone our MOUTH. 3-10mg of mercury would surely concern me.

Mercury is a fantastic IQ reductant and completely sabotages the formation of new neural pathways. This can cause abnormal neurological degeneration manifesting in mood swings, learning impairment, emotional instability, insomnia, motor diseases (ie parkinsons), cognitive afflictions (alzheimers) etc. Just look up "mercury poisoning symptoms".


Thank you. The main changes in me since chelating are, or were, *all in my head*. I have had all of the symptoms you noted, and more, all together or at different times for 30-40 years. I had a real hard time in school and I'd bet $$ Hg was mostly to blame. The problem was, my Ma & Pa couldn't afford anything but amalgams so I guess there was no way around it. The EPA said Hg fillings would be just fine with me. Here I am at age 59 trying to undo the harm, and I may get it undone in another year or two.

The good part of this thread is that anyone that has an Hg toxicity problem can chelate it out of their body if they really want to.

 

[Trav]

Originally Posted By: Lurch
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8


Microwave radiation is held to much lower limits in Russia than in the US. Ever wonder why?


7 years ago I gave my like new Panasonic microwave oven to the annual animal shelter benefit auction. I'll never eat food from one again.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10 Reasons not to use a microwave (I’m warning you some of these are pretty scary!):

1. Continually eating microwave processed food causes permanent brain damage.
2. The human body is unable to metabolize the unknown by-products created in microwaved foods.
3. Male and female hormone production is shut down and/or altered by continually eating microwaved foods.
4. The effects of by-products remain in the human body long-term.
5. Minerals, vitamins and nutrients are reduced by microwaving so that the body gets little or altered components that cannot be broken down.
6. The minerals in vegetables are altered into cancerous free radicals by microwaves.
7. Microwaved foods cause stomach and intestinal cancerous growths. This may partially explain the rapid increase of the colon cancer rate in America.
8. Long term consumption of microwaved foods causes cancerous cells to increase in human blood.
9. It also causes immune system deficiencies through alterations in the lymph glands and blood serum.
10. Eating microwaved food causes loss of memory and concentration, emotional instability and a decrease of intelligence.

Holy cow! I hope no one takes any of this hog wash seriously.

 

[Lurch]

Originally Posted By: Trav
Holy cow! I hope no one takes any of this hog wash seriously.

There are several of us in this thread that take our health seriously, and we do not see this as hogwash.

 

[Trav]

No one here can avoid the reaper regardless,i choose to enjoy life rather than worry about ducking and diving falling light bulbs and tossing my microwave out.

 

[Lurch]

Originally Posted By: Trav
No one here can avoid the reaper regardless,


No one here ever said we could avoid the reaper.

I like to be informed and not try to sing off health hazards as if they don't exist. If you had been dealt the hand I was dealt, good chance you'd see things differently.

 

[StevieC]

I don't have any CFLs in my house because I'm convinced they trigger headaches/migraines in me and I have sensitive hearing and all the brands I have tried create a high-pitched noise that is annoying.

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted By: Lurch
Where the heck did you get this from?

http://www.eatsmartagesmart.com/10-reasons-to-get-rid-of-your-microwave/

No prove from medical study.

No proof it doesn't either. I don't use microwave for several reasons. I use a convection oven mostly.

That link is either broken or is empty with microwave oven ads and a bunch of lose weight diet ads.

Convection oven still heat up your food and can cause the same oxidation / destruction of nutrients you concern about. Food would taste better however from an oven.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: ItsuMitsubishi
There is no amount of uneducated popular consensus or mass apathy that could make me forget what I've learned about this heavy metal.

Either way, certain agencies will tell you that mercury is GOOD for you and your children. Kind of like how DDT was "good for you and me" And people sprayed themselves with it, ate it... lol, welcome to the 'new world', that's all I have to say about that.

Oh so true. Your government is the WRONG agency to trust when it comes to your health and wellness.

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Originally Posted By: ItsuMitsubishi
There is no amount of uneducated popular consensus or mass apathy that could make me forget what I've learned about this heavy metal.

Either way, certain agencies will tell you that mercury is GOOD for you and your children. Kind of like how DDT was "good for you and me" And people sprayed themselves with it, ate it... lol, welcome to the 'new world', that's all I have to say about that.

Oh so true. Your government is the WRONG agency to trust when it comes to your health and wellness.

I have to ask what other agency should we listen too? I am well aware that alot of government policy seems to be written by private industries which don't have the public good in mind. But who else is there?
Academics can't publish anything "controversial" any more, and proving that certain materials cause health issues without a doubt requires alot of money that no one is willing to pay for.
The "quack" doctors that Lurch quotes might be right sometimes but they can't fund studies to prove it and even if they did, they would get sued for years just to shut them up...

 

[Lurch]

This is the other side of the microwave oven coin :

http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4080

Some say they are OK. You be the judge.

 

[Beachboy]

The hysteria over mercury from CFL's and asbestos is absolutely unfounded. I can't believe that some of you are so easily swayed by the naysayers. I work for a state environmental agency, and there is no concern over mercury in CFL's. Every bulb in our new office building is flourescent, and I've switched every bulb in my own home to CFL's. The media and internet are out to make money, and that involves scare-mongering articles about the toxin-of-the-day. Relax and enjoy life. CFL's aren't going to kill you. Sheesh!!!!!!!

 

[Nick R]

Originally Posted By: Beachboy
The hysteria over mercury from CFL's and asbestos is absolutely unfounded. I can't believe that some of you are so easily swayed by the naysayers. I work for a state environmental agency, and there is no concern over mercury in CFL's. Every bulb in our new office building is flourescent, and I've switched every bulb in my own home to CFL's. The media and internet are out to make money, and that involves scare-mongering articles about the toxin-of-the-day. Relax and enjoy life. CFL's aren't going to kill you. Sheesh!!!!!!!


I agree. We use CFLs in every single fixture and lamp in our house. We broke one or two, but only because we have cats and they feel the need occasionally to scent mark the lamps, meaning rub up against them. Clean up with vacuum, and we are set. I'm not worried atll. We likely get more mercury exposure from eating tunafish sandwhiches than bulbs. Why not worry about something more dangerous and common? Radon.

Zone 1 counties have a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L (pico curies per liter) (red zones) Highest Potential

Zone 2 counties have a predicted average indoor radon screening level between 2 and 4 pCi/L (orange zones) Moderate Potential

Zone 3 counties have a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L (yellow zones)