Light fixtures equipped with a fluorescent lamp are becoming more popular as a means of reducing energy costs as well as time and expense of changing light bulbs. They not only use less power to use, they generally last considerably longer than traditional incandescent light bulbs.
While the term fluorescent lamp may technically be a misnomer, it is used due to the inside fluorescent coating in the bulb which converts the ultraviolet light created by the bulb into visible light. Depending on the color and makeup of the fluorescent coating, the bulb may emit different colors and have different uses.
The bulb itself is generally filled with gas, argon or neon, and uses mercury vapor excited by electricity to produce the ultraviolet light. This light is what then causes the phosphorous coating to produce the visible light. A fluorescent lamp also requires a stabilized electrical source and typically uses what is called a ballast to achieve this. Initially made commercially available in the 1920 s, the fluorescent lamp is now used in a wide variety of applications.
Significant Savings Improves Popularity
While residential use of fluorescent lamp fixtures remains limited, commercial use continues to enjoy significant energy savings due to their use. Being able to achieve a level of lighting at least the same, if not more, than incandescent lighting with a 20 to 30 percent energy savings has businesses, schools and other commercial applications hooked on using fluorescent lamps. Their longer life, which also reduces the frequency of changing bulbs, also contributes to the savings.
However, there are some qualities of a fluorescent lamp that poses concerns in that they use mercury, which has been shown to cause health issues in pregnant women, infants and children. Many areas require special disposal methods for fluorescent lamps and in the even of a broken bulb, the white powder used as the fluorescence usually contains trace mercury, especially in older bulbs. These require special clean up techniques to help contain the mercury in the bulbs as well as that which has settled into the powder.
Most landfills treat commercial and residential waste differently, especially where fluorescent lamp bulbs are concerned. Many commercial users typically repackage their used bulbs and send them to a special facility for proper clean up and disposal. Broken glass and powder is usually cleaned up using a wet rag as opposed to a vacuum cleaner, which helps prevent the spread of the powder containing mercury.