I hate fluorescent light. I hate the “quality” and color of fluorescent light. I hate the flicker and the glare on my computer screen, so I’ve had the custodian at work take out the bulbs in the fixture over my desk.
I hate that hotels are using the compact fluorescent bulbs in bedside lamps. They’re fine if all I want them for is groping around for my glasses in the morning, but for reading in bed, they stink.
I hate that the government is mandating the demise of incandescent bulbs. (See this article from US News and World Report: http://www.usnews.com/articles/business/economy/2007/12/19/faq-the-end-of-the-light-bulb-as-we-know-it.html). Ok, they’re not energy efficient so they’re bad for the environment, so we’re going to save the whales one light bulb at a time.
Seeing the handwriting on the wall, I went ahead and purchased a compact fluorescent bulb. The thing cost 7 or eight bucks and came in a hard plastic “case” and cardboard sleeve. I was going to try it out in my bedside lamp, ’cause for me, that’s the acid test. Now, I’m sure we’ve all had the experience of trying to extract a purchased item from its theft-proof wrappings — it usually involves scissors or a utility knife, kevlar gloves for protection against the resulting sharp plastic edges, safety goggles, etc. Can you guess what happened?
This damned expensive light bulb broke inside its plastic container. Now the fun really begins, because you can’t just throw the damned thing away. See this link to a fact sheet on mercury safety, ’cause, yup, the things have mercury in ’em. http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/promotions/change_light/downloads/Fact_Sheet_Mercury.pdf
No, I didn’t immediately air out the house, place the pieces in a glass jar with metal lid, vacuum, empty the vacuum, put the vacuum bag in a sealed plastic bag. I did not take the broken pieces and clean-up materials to the solid waste plant in Westfield. The next time I vacuumed, I didn’t turn off the air conditioner, open the windows, and leave the AC off for 15 minutes after vacuuming. (Special note: See the part about the solid waste plant? If the bulb had simply burned out rather than breaking, I would still have been expected to hand carry the bulb to the dump.)
The Amish have the right idea. Better to light a candle than curse the compact fluorescent bulb.
The Light From Within 