11 May,2010 08:44 AM IST | | Anshuman G Dutta
CFL bulbs poisoning the Capital; activists alarmed, government clueless
The Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) may have reduced your electricity bills drastically but not many are
Experts have warned that with its extremely high mercury content, the lamps are leading to a huge accumulation of the toxic element in the national capital's environment, including the water table.
While Delhi government and environment experts have suddenly woken up to the impending dangers of mercury led poising they are struggling to come up with a probable solution.
"The worst part is that no one has any data on the number of CFL lamps and bulbs under use and dumped as waste in the city. It seems that we are heading towards a crisis situation but there is no solution in sight," said an official of Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC).
The Delhi government had endorsed the CFL bulbs as one of the best mediums to save electricity. As soon as the popularity of the product and the demand grew manifold, a number of manufacturers, including Chinese, flooded the market with cheap options bringing the fancy lights in the reach of common people. The bulbs that used to cost more than Rs 200 for a 15-20W piece are now easily available at Rs 80-120.
"There is no estimate available as to how many bulbs have been produced and how many were scrapped after use. Also, we don't have any proper manner to dispose of the huge toxic waste that is generated in the process. Even if we come up with a solution now it will take years to implement," said an expert associated with The Energy Research Institute (TERI).
He also pointed out that once a CFL lamp is disposed/damaged, its mercury content rises by 300 per cent after coming in contact with air. "As of now there is no mechanism to collect CFL bulbs to assure a proper disposal."
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) said "roughly" 70 per cent of Delhi households use CFL bulbs.
Admitting the danger from the high mercury content of these lamps, a CPCB official said, "But the bigger threat is from manufacturing industries and other places like hospitals, hotels and offices which use CFL bulbs in huge quantities. Every CFL bulbs has a life span of about one year. The mercury from such bulbs can pollute air, soil and ground water," the officer said, requesting anonymity.
"It is a difficult subject and every one has accepted that the agencies related to conservation of environment have been caught off guard on this issue," he said.
"We are collecting data from CFL bulb manufacturers and as per our estimates almost 50 per cent of the lamps produced turn into waste in six months," said the CPCB official.
| Foreign connect |
| In USA and almost entire Europe there is a complete ban over discarding the CFL bulbs in open garbage. The waste bulbs are collected and recycled by government approved agencies with technologies to extract mercury before destroying the bulbs. China, which has become the leader in producing CFL bulbs, has registered numerous cases of mercury poisoning in factory workers where the bulbs are used and recently introduced directions for its uses and disposal. |
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