Incandescent Light Bulbs Banned In EU Starting September 1, 2009

by Yuliya Talmazan | September 1, 2009 at 11:41 am

1016 views | 48 Recommendations | 16 comments

Starting today, the European Union nations have enacted a ban on the sale of 100-watt and frosted incandescent light bulbs. The clear ones will vacate market shelves by 2012. The ultimate invention of the 20th century, the 120-year-old incandescent light bulb is to be replaced with fluorescent light bulbs, which consume less energy, reducing the cost of electricity and carbon emissions. There are downsides to the new fluorescent lights, however. Consumers are complaining the fluorescent lights are not bright enough and lead to health hazards. There have been claims that fluorescent light bulbs have an impact on skin conditions and can cause migraines.

First commercialised in 1879 by Thomas Edison, the incandescent light bulb is highly inefficient, with 90 per cent of its energy consumption being converted to heat.

The bulbs are also dangerously hot to touch and have an average lifetime of just one year.

Halogen lights with xenon filling, by contrast, use about 25 percent less energy and last twice as long.

Compact fluorescent lamps, which are already commonly found in shops, are even more energy efficient and last up to 15 times longer.

In light of the complains, consumers across Europe lined up to stock up on incandescent light bulbs. Despite a surge in demand, public is asked to keep an eye for illegal vendors who might try to sell incandescent light bulbs after the ban takes hold. The fines for illegal import and sale are quite considerable, ranging from £5,000 for an individual to an unlimited amount for big companies.

There is evidence of people hoarding the old fashioned bulbs around Europe and enforcement agencies are ready to crack down on unscrupulous businessmen who continue to import the "illegal bulbs" from factories in China.

Some shopkeepers have reported that many people were stockpiling 100W bulbs ahead of the ban.

Any remaining supplies can still be sold in shops.

But there are health concerns over the use of the new energy-saving bulbs.

Fluorescent light is said by some lupus sufferers to trigger painful symptoms. It has also been linked to migraines and an increase in the risk of seizures for people with epilepsy.

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sara star

at 13:59 on September 1st, 2009

Don't people have any rights left? And freedom of choice?

Or will dictatorship prevail?

Paschen

at 17:02 on September 1st, 2009

Sara, what rights would that be?

The right to pollute? To destroy the Earth? To kill?

This is a step in the right direction even though it is not perfect yet, but it is a good compromise until LED lights are perfected and mass produced, a process that has already started and with in the next decade we will most likely see LED lights becoming the new norm and then we will be able to outlaw the present energy savings lights that are just a transition of sorts.

We outlawed drunk driving and other bad habits, this is a good step for all Living organism and a step into the right direction.

The EU is not the US nor plagued by their paranoia's.

sara star

at 18:23 on September 1st, 2009

The also outlawed raw milk. Where does it end? What toilet paper I can use?

CFL's are worse for the environment, with all the mercury they are hazardous materials, one of the deadliest neurotoxins on this planet.

The real cost is not one light bulb breakage, but how badly affected homes will be after 20 years of amateur attempts to clean up one of the deadliest neurotoxins on the planet. A generation of children crawling on mercury-infested carpets would give new meaning to the phrase, "dumbed-down".

Paschen

at 18:37 on September 1st, 2009

Raw milk has been outlawed due to TB and for good reasons it is still so.

It took us a long time to win the battle against TB, do you want it to come back?

Your computer is far more toxic then all the CFL combined in your house.

It is a transition that will reduce toxins and pollution more then it does create it self.

israeli.agent

at 18:46 on September 1st, 2009

LED and CFL are different.

CFL or LED Light Bulbs?

LED and CFL

A compact fluorescent lamp (CFL), also known as a compact fluorescent light or energy saving light (or less commonly as a compact fluorescent tube [CFT]), is a type of fluorescent lamp. Many CFLs are designed to replace an incandescent lamp and can fit into most existing light fixtures formerly used for incandescents.

Like a normal diode, the LED consists of a chip of semiconducting material impregnated, or doped, with impurities to create a p-n junction. As in other diodes, current flows easily from the p-side, or anode, to the n-side, or cathode, but not in the reverse direction. Charge-carriers—electrons and holes—flow into the junction from electrodes with different voltages. When an electron meets a hole, it falls into a lower energy level, and releases energy in the form of a photon.

Colonel Boyle

at 03:19 on September 30th, 2009

I think that equating the right to choose your lightbulb with drunk driving, "destroying the Earth" and "killing" is probably overheating things, don't you think?

If the new bulbs are genuinely more efficient, save money and are every bit as bright as existing bulbs, then we would naturally move over to them. That decision has to be taken in partnership with the fact that our light fittings might have to be replaced as well - which ain't that cheap or easy a thing in many cases.

What the concern is is that we are basically being treated as children who can't make the "right" decision. So the great and the good bring forward legislation to take away our choice.

If a bulb goes in my house now and a CFL bulb won't fit the fitting (and they are rarely as compact or the same in shape as traditional bulbs) I might find myself having to replace the whole fitting.

You even mention that LEDs - which are far superior in every regard - are nearly reaching the point at which they'll make CFLs redundant. So now you're suggesting that the cost and bother of this exercise should just be repeated in a few years anyway?

How about I make my own decision about how I light my home?

albertacowpoke

at 15:49 on September 1st, 2009

The people spoke loud and clear and have stocked up on the banned light bulbs.

Sara, Dictatorship will be coming to a store near you in Canada soon.

sara star

at 18:16 on September 1st, 2009

I hear they call them dictatorolights... I am stocking up too on the contrabands. sheeshh....

Paschen

at 16:54 on September 1st, 2009

Good, the next step will be to move to LED lights, wish has already started in the EU and Japan.

sara star

at 18:27 on September 1st, 2009

Sounds great... migraines, lupus, seizures never mind the overall IRRATIBILITY, DAMN IT ALL! Oops, I better go turn off my light.... after I squeeze my pimples first.

Paschen

at 18:45 on September 1st, 2009

You may go back to a life stile that does not require light bulbs at all. It may even be healthier over all.

I have been using Energy saving light bulbs for over a decade now and start replacing the low light output once with LED now and the high light out put once once the LED will be perfected.

I never had any problem and the burned out Energy saving light bulbs are safe as long as they are disposed of properly and recycled.

People where just as paranoid and screaming dictator as we introduced the seat belt and made that mandatory. Even though it saves lives, all kinds of horror stories where made up at first against it.

israeli.agent

at 18:58 on September 1st, 2009

6 years back , I have written in a US scooter enthusiasts group who are crazy about 2 stroke scooters who were amazed about the fuel efficiency it gives ( 35 kmpl..sorry no idea about miles per gallon..! ) why don't they go for more fuel efficient 4 stroke bikes. One of the guy replied harshly said that in US they don't worry about fuel efficiency and it is only a worry for the people from third world country.

I am not sure still that person has the same opinion.

.Agent.

bettermaker (not verified)

at 19:04 on September 1st, 2009

mass mercury poisoning of the whole world HERE WE COME !!!!

Paschen

at 20:16 on September 1st, 2009

bettermaker, I suppose that you are unaware that every Headlight in every car and motor bike contains mercury and is not recycled for the most part, ending up on land fields and with auto wreckers.

Have you ever looked up the components that are in a cell phone, computer or TV?

In the end it all comes down to responsible management and environmental sound recycling. Wish is in large part the responsibility of each individual more so then of the institutions responsible.

a211423

at 06:56 on September 2nd, 2009

I have been using the CFL bulbs for several years, and I never had any of the problems stated in the article. The only problem I had was in the family room I have the indirect lighting with dimmers, and I discovered that you cannot dim the CFL. That was a couple of years ago, so they might have one that can be dimmed by now. Also, I have two older lamps that the CFL will not fit on because of the way the lamp shade fits.

I don't consider advances in health and safety or environmental changes to recognize the need for conservation of energy to be any way intrusive; in fact, it is our responsibility to initiate changes individually when we can.

sara star

at 07:24 on September 3rd, 2009

I only asked the questions to hear both sides of the story, not because I necessarily take one side or the other. If we don't question and hear both sides, then we are not informed. We become sheepishly compliant.

Personally, three concerns I have:

1. The hazardous material in the CFL's, and children playing on the floor where the bulbs had been broken. Most people don't realize it is one the worst neurotoxins on this planet.

2. I also find that the LED illuminate a cold ambience, as opposed to the soft warm lighting of the incandenscent bulbs, which can aggravate many health problems.

3. Most of the electricity is used in metropolitan areas. Why ban the bulbs and but not the usage of bulbs at night when no one is using them. Although I guess that will come in time also.

Otherwise I am all for saving the planet any way I can.