When you have a budding family, it can be your optimum priority to ensure their health and safety at all times, especially if you have little ones, so when it comes to Compact Fluorescent Lamps, or CFLs, can they really impact family health?

CFLs use, on average, around 75% less energy, than any other standard light bulb, and amazingly, they can last almost 10 times as long. As well as this, they also give off over 75% less heat too, which means that they are a lot easier, and safer to operate. Few people realize that Fluorescent light bulbs, which include the compact variety too, are a lot more energy efficient than all of the other regular bulbs currently on the market, because they use a completely different method of producing light. This means that as you will, inevitably, begin to merge your previous bulbs out, and the new CFLs in, you will want to know if there are any health issues that you need to know.

Well first of all, Compact fluorescent light bulbs contain a small amount of mercury vapor, around about 5 milligrams, which is sealed with glass tubing. Mercury, when at atmospheric pressure, is well known as a silvery colored liquid that generally forms in the shape of small spheres. Mercury itself is a very dangerous substance, and can potentially be inhaled, absorbed or ingested, and could cause a variety of different symptoms. Because CFLs themselves contain only a very small amount of Mercury, they should always be recycled, and never tossed into the trash.

However, when used within the home and as a component within CFLs, it allows the lamp itself to turn on. When this happens, no mercury is released into the atmosphere, so will cause no danger to your family, as long as they are disposed of safely, no health risks will arise.

There are some places, nonetheless where the CFLs cannot, and should not be used. Unless specifically tailored to do so, Light bulbs, and Compact Fluorescent lamps cannot be used as part as an emergency lighting system. It is also not recommend that lighting such as this is used within vibrating environments, such as building sites, or places where heavy machinery is frequently used. The vibrations from said machinery can often cause CFLs to fail.

If you’re concerned about Mercury emissions, it’s important to know that Mercury within the air can come from man-made as well as natural sources. Things such as Coal-Fired power plants are one of the largest man-made sources of Mercury emissions, as it is released from the coal as it is burned to make electricity, so you might want to be aware if you’re living near a plant that does this.

When a CFL gets broken, you must always wear chemical resistant gloves to clean it up, and make sure any young children are well out of the way. If you’re concerned about the lights falling and breaking in places where your children play, it might be worth installing safety features to ensure they fall out of reach, or avoid use of the lights in these areas.

For the most up to date information of CFL lamps, and how to dispose them, the best place to go for information would be the US Government Environmental Protection Agency, and when you follow the given guidelines correctly, you’ll know exactly how to dispose of your lights safely.

Overall, when used and disposed of correctly, CFLs will not harm the health of your family, but the only way to guarantee this, is to follow the guidelines of use, that way, you and your family will always be safe.