ENVIRONMENTAL groups have asked government and manufacturers
of compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) to find ways to minimize and ultimately
eliminate the use of mercury, a neurotoxin, in energy-saving bulbs and to ensure
that used CFLs are properly disposed.
The Ban Toxics!, EcoWaste Coalition and Greenpeace Southeast
Asia expressed their concern on mercury in CFLs following the country's planned
phase out of incandescent bulbs by 2010 and the shift towards greater use of
CFLs.
They said the six-page paid advertisements of the Department
of Energy in the launching of the "SWITCH Movement" did not contain any
precaution against the mercury content of CFLs. Each CFL contains 2 to 6
milligrams of mercury.
A fact sheet by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
said exposure to mercury can affect the brain, spinal cord, kidneys and liver,
causing symptoms such as trembling hands, memory loss, and difficulty in moving.
Mercury is also capable of causing birth defects.
Manny Calonzo, president of the EcoWaste Coalition, said the
public needs to be told not only of the energy and climate benefits of CFLs, but
also of the risk involved when it is accidentally broken, improperly discarded
or burned.
Calonzo said there must be a ban against putting spent bulbs
in bins or dumps and that government must find ways to stem their disposal. He
said throwing of CFLs in waste bins has been outlawed in some places like
California since 2006.
The EcoWaste Coalition said government must also impose clear
rules on how CFLs should be packed and transported to prevent mercury pollution
in case of road or sea accidents.
Lawyer Richard Gutierrez, Ban Toxics! coordinator, said
government should encourage
manufacturers and importers of CFLs to sell products that are
compliant with the European Union´s Restriction on the Use of Certain Hazardous
Substances (RoHS), which imposed lower levels of mercury in electrical and
electronics products.
Von Hernandez, executive director of Greenpeace Southeast
Asia, said the electrical and electronics industries should find a safe
substitute for mercury in CFLs, which are fast becoming the industry standard
for energy efficiency.
Hernandez said the mercury problem could be eliminated by the
upcoming high efficiency halogens and light emitting diode (LED) technologies
already in the market.
Meantime, the environmental watchdogs said government should require CFL
manufacturers and retailers to institute a take-back program to ensure that
spent mercury-containing bulbs are properly disposed.
