Energy saving bulbs have been around for some time now. As the name suggests, these bulbs are more effective as compared to an ordinary bulb in terms of power consumption. Most of us are currently using these bulbs in order to save on electricity consumption, and ultimately electricity bills.
Hidden Danger of Energy-efficient Light Bulbs
Energy saving bulbs come in different shapes and sizes, and have different ratings in terms of voltage and wattage. However there are some serious health and safety risks that come with using energy saving bulbs. If a low energy bulb breaks, some serious safety precautions have to be taken, because these types of bulbs contain mercury. Mercury is highly poisonous (more poisonous than lead or arsenic!), and everyone should leave the room for a minimum of 20 minutes if an energy saving globe is broken. In the event a globe does break, it should not be vacuumed up either, as this will contaminate the vacuum which can then not be used again. When inhaled, mercury can cause migraines, disorientation, imbalances, and other nasty health problems. Severe skin conditions and other diseases can develop just from touching or inhaling mercury.
I don’t want to be too much of a downer, so I’ll leave it at that, but it is important to be aware of these dangers around your own home. However, there is a safe and just as cost effective alternative to the mercury riddled energy saver globes. That alternative is LED. LED lighting lasts 20 times longer than halogens, uses 80% less energy, and contains no mercury!
So, get out of the ‘dark ages’ and into the mercury free future of LED. Glenco Electrical is your local Electrician in Sydney, a specialist in the supply and installation of LED lighting. Give us a call today to find out how you can upgrade your home’s lighting to LED to start saving on energy and maintenance costs, as well as protecting your family’s health.
