In recent years, Antigua & Barbuda has worked closely with Cuba to obtain energy efficient light bulbs. In 2006, a Cuban delegation was pleased to announce replacing 215,000 traditional incandescent bulbs with CFL, saving Antiguans plenty on their electric bills.

This trend has been worldwide with most countries adopting the energy saving CFL bulbs. To date, many countries are beginning to phase out and outright ban old-style, inefficient incandescent bulbs. But has this decision been too hasty?

CFL bulbs [aka Compact Flourescent Lamp] last 8 to 15 times longer than incandescents and operate on 3 to 4 times less power. It is estimated that replacing all incandescent bulbs on the planet would save 2.3% of the world's electricity consumption. It should be noted that CFL bulbs should be left on if the duration off is less than 15 minutes.

CFL bulbs, like all flourescents contain mercury vapour. Mercury is a poisonous heavy metal which when ingested is extremely toxic to our brains, kidneys and lungs.

The above images present an example of the dangers of CFL bulbs to an extreme. Antiguans should take particular caution because most floors are hard surfaced and people are often barefoot in Antigua's hot climate. Read the accompanying information that came with these images (we chose not to show the most gruesome images).

What happened.

On February 10th, 2011 the energy saver globe fused at the home of the IP.  He did not wait for the globe to cool down, standing on a chair with a piece of cloth and remove the energy saver globe.  Due to the heat of the energy saver globe he dropped the globe.  As the globe fell on the floor it “exploded”.  As he descended from the chair, he stepped into the broken glass and exposed mercury powder.

The IP was admitted to hospital for treatment from the cuts.  He spent two weeks in ICU and, at one stage, it was feared that his foot would need to be amputated.  Currently his foot is connected to a vacuum pump to remove continuously dead tissue.  Long road to recovery is awaiting him.
 

Safety when using CFL bulbs

1. When changing a CFL bulb, turn it off and wait until it has cooled before unscrewing it. A warm bulb is a greater danger than a cool one,
2. Never be in a position to inhale the gas from a CFL. If one breaks, turn off fans, A/C units and everyone should leave the room for at least 15 minutes to allow the mercury vapour to settle. Leave air moving units off for several hours.
3. Mercury can cause many severe reaction especially people with allergies.
4. Never clean the debris with a vacuum cleaner. Doing so will spread the contamination. It must be cleaned up with rubber gloves, a damp cloth, sticky tape and with stiff paper and a durable sealable container.
5. All debris should be disposed of as hazardous material in a sealed bag.

Mercury is extremely dangerous and more poisonous than lead or arsenic. When speaking to your govt representative, press him or her to establish a protocol for disposing of the 215,000+ bulbs that are in Antigua & Barbuda and will eventually need replacing. To learn more about the hazards of broken CFL bulbs and flourescent bulbs, click here at livestrong.comm  and epa.org.