History

• The light bulb was invented in the 1880s, and their emergence revolutionized life and affected people throughout the world. Even though they are called "lights," traditional incandescent bulbs are in fact small heaters that produce light. However, these light bulbs waste energy making heat.
  
  

Significance of Energy-Saving Bulbs

• Compact fluorescent light bulbs produce light in a different manner than traditional light bulbs. In the incandescent bulbs, a wire filament uses an electric current to produce heat. In contrast, a CFL uses an electric current to heat a tube containing the chemical element argon as well as mercury vapor. The result is the production of ultraviolet light that reacts with a fluorescent coating to emit visible light. This process is more energy efficient than light created by incandescent bulbs.
  
  

Safety Considerations

• Although CFLs contain mercury, they should not be a safety concern when being used normally at home. If they break or are not disposed of properly, they could pose as a health and safety hazard to people. If they break, for example, the glass could cause lacerations of the skin. Whether a bulb is broken while in use or improperly stored, direct contact with mercury has harmful effects, such as impaired neurological development and cancer.
  
  

Benefits

• If safety precautions are followed and the product is used properly, the benefits of using an energy-saving CFL bulb greatly outweigh the health risks. CFLs utilize a fraction of the electricity that normal bulbs require, which means that consumers will notice lower electricity bills. Additionally, less pollution will be generated, thus mitigating global warming. If each person replaced a normal bulb with a CFL, the United States would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes per year.
  
  

Prevention

• In order to avoid situations where safety is compromised when using CFL bulbs, it is important to know what to do if a bulb breaks. First, air out the room, so the mercury vapors are not inhaled. Next, clean up all glass from hard surfaces so no physical damage occurs. If bedding or clothing comes into contact with a broken bulb, throw it away. Immediately place all contaminated materials into a trash disposal container outside.