What’s wrong with other low-energy lighting?
The usual low-energy light technology on the market today is CFL – standing for Compact Fluorescent Light. These tend to be curly in shape and give off a blue-white light. In effect they are the same technology as the neon fluorescent tubes often found in offices or kitchens, simply engineered to fit into smaller fittings (hence “compact”). CFL technology is energy-efficient, as it uses less electricity than traditional lighting. However, CFLs contain mercury, phosphor and other toxic materials in measurable quantities – they need these materials in order to work. They also tend to be made of glass and if they break they are a health hazard from both the glass shards and the mercury. This makes them expensive to handle and dispose of. In fact as of 2007, you MUST employ the services of a properly registered disposal company whenever you want to have CFLs removed. In addition CFL lights tend to flicker and usually take time to come on – causing health and safety issues. LEDs have none o
