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Re: [IRCA] CFL Bulbs
Going further OT, I actually broke one last Fall (overhand swing with a
flyswater - oops!) but I have already been told that mercury is in them
but in a miniscule amount. A co-worker's young toddler broke one about
two years ago and mom called the Poison control hotline and was told
that it would take 100 CFL bulbs to equal the amount of mercury in a
household thermometer. That is a small amount. By the way, the light
was on at the time that I broke it and the whomp, whomp, whomp noise
that it made was straight out of a science fiction movie and the pretty
colors were mesmerising before it quit. :p
I was heavilly involved in auto racing in the 90's as PR director for a
major short track (Anderson (IN) Speedway). Mercury is bad news and
apparently it was one of the cheating crazes back then, as stock cars
had to meet minimum weight balance requirements (drivers would love 80
percent left side weight vs. the right side but that would be unsafe).
The frame rails on the right side would be filled with mercury before
the race (when the Left vs. right was checked) and then the mercury
would drain out of holes and the right side would weigh less. We were
talking HUGE amounts of mercury. The first few times that it happened
was "that is innovative, take a few weeks of the tour to think about
what you've done" and then it was "you are out for the sport for the
rest of your life and you'd better come up with the clean up funds!" My
guess that cheat is no longer the rage.
73,
Dave in Indy
Back on Topic - I have not noted much RF from CFL's. I do not like that
there is a warm up period. I want my light, now. :)
------------------------------
Message: 6
Date: Tue, 3 Feb 2009 11:00:44 -0800
From: <transistor@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [IRCA] CFL bulbs
To: irca@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Message-ID: <20090203140044.880G5.4361567.root@mp14>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
CFL bulbs - not only are they prolific RFI producers, but if you break
one a small but definite amount of mercury is released. If ambient
temperatures are warm enough, it probably vaporizes quickly, which isn't
such a good thing in its own right. Hard to believe they are supposed
to 'save the planet' with that nasty habit. Oops - back to just reading
the mail... Scott NM8R Michigan (I did some engineering work for an
environmental clean up company a few years back, removing mercury laden
soil from a large utility's natural gas metering stations. We could
easily detect mercury in the air with our portable sampling equipment,
years after it had been spilled. Not from CFL's of course, but from an
old metering process that was used in the '60's and before. It is a
most elusive element to contain, and certainly not good for you. So be
careful with those CFL's.)
Back on-topic - great conditions lately! Among others, I am hearing R.
Medi on 171 nearly nightly since Friday evening, and it has been strong
enough to provide arm chair copy on my Zenith Trans-O portable in the
living room several times. (Steve R. is probably getting sick of
getting my little video clips of my Zenith, I bet.)
He provided me an audio clip of 171 last night that made it sound like a
local. All the more amazing when you consider he must look over the
Pole to see the station.
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