Sustainable Belmont Energy Efficient Lighting - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

1 / 15
About This Presentation
Title:

Sustainable Belmont Energy Efficient Lighting

Description:

Unfortunately, there's no substitute for mercury, although amount of mercury in ... Radiant energy causes the phosphor coating to fluoresce converting to visible light ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

Number of Views:25
Avg rating:3.0/5.0
Slides: 16
Provided by: newe2
Category:

less

Transcript and Presenter's Notes

Title: Sustainable Belmont Energy Efficient Lighting


1
Sustainable Belmont Energy Efficient Lighting
  • Jeri Weiss
  • February 1, 2006

2
Why Is Mercury in Bulbs?
  • Contributes to efficiency
  • More energy is converted into useable light, less
    is converted into heat
  • Increases life of bulb
  • Unfortunately, theres no substitute for mercury,
    although amount of mercury in each bulb has
    decreased in the past 10 years
  • There are no mercury-free fluorescent bulbs

3
Does the Mercury Matter?
  • Mercury is persistent and toxic in the
    environment
  • Release of mercury in the air, results in
    deposition of mercury, eventually ending up in
    water bodies, bio-accumulating in fish
  • MA has fish consumption advisories for women of
    childbearing age, pregnant and nursing women and
    young children

4
Mercury Health Effects
  • Effects of exposure during development or to
    adults range from mortality at very high levels
    through subtle effects on ability to learn at
    lower levels
  • Effects on adults at high (poisoning) doses
    included death, paresthesia, tremors, ataxia,
    hearing and vision impairment, balance and speech
    disturbances, motor difficulties
  • Children born to mothers exposed during pregnancy
    at high doses exhibited cerebral palsy-like
    symptoms, delayed walking/talking at lower
    doses, delayed startle responses, subtle
    neurological effects, effects on tests related to
    ability to learn and process information
  • Not likely to be a human carcinogen (Tumors are
    seen in animals only at extremely toxic doses
    neurological effects are observed at orders of
    magnitude lower exposures)
  • Developing nervous system is a sensitive target
    for low dose MeHg exposure
  • Human and animal evidence of cardiovascular
    effects from adult and in utero exposure
  • Animal evidence of immune and reproductive effects

5
Does the Mercury Matter
  • Exposure in utero and during childhood can affect
    ability of children to think and learn
  • New information on damage to heart and blood
    regulation

6
How Fluorescent Lamps Work
  • Produces light when electrical current passes
    between two electrodes (cathodes) in a tube
    filled with low pressure mercury vapor and other
    gases
  • Electrical current excites the mercury vapor,
    generating radiant energy
  • Radiant energy causes the phosphor coating to
    fluoresce converting to visible light

7
Fluorescent Lamps
8
Other Lamps with Mercury
  • Mercury Vapor Lamps
  • Metal Halide Lamp
  • Neon lamps
  • Ultra Violet Lamp
  • Tanning lamps

9
What Are Disposal Requirements?
  • Universal Waste Rules
  • Simplifies management and disposal
  • Special requirements
  • Less complex than hazardous waste
  • Massachusetts requires commercial, industrial,
    and institutional facilities to manage all
    mercury-added lamps that fail the toxicity
    characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) as
    universal or hazardous wastes.
  • All mercury-added lamps failing the TCLP must be
    treated, disposed, or recycled at an authorized
    destination facility.
  • No requirements for homeowners

10
What advice does MA DEP have?
  • Management Options
  • Take to a municipal recycling center
  • Save for the next household hazardous waste
    collection in your community, if accepted in your
    program.
  • Do not dispose of in the trash, especially if
    your community's solid waste goes to a combustion
    facility.
  • Individual broken lamps should be placed in a
    sealed container and disposed of in the trash.
  • www.mass.gov/dep/recycle/hazardous/fluores.htm

11
Whats the Sustainable Thing To Do?
  • Encourage use of mercury bulbs but recycle
  • MA DEP has a state contract to reduce cost of
    recycling
  • NESWC provides funding for recycling
  • Belmont Highway Department and Bureau of Health
    developed a recycling program for municipal owned
    buildings

12
What Should Belmontians Do?
  • Use fluorescent and compact fluorescent bulbs to
    save energy
  • Recycle!
  • But How?
  • Household Hazardous Waste?
  • Not practical
  • Expensive
  • Alternative Ideas
  • Collection points in town
  • Fire Station?
  • DPW?
  • Health Department?
  • Retail Stores?

13
Program in Vermont
  • True Value Hardware has teamed up with the state
    of Vermont to offer free recycling for Vermont
    residents of up to six fluorescent and other
    mercury-containing bulbs per visit.
  • What kinds of bulbs contain mercury?
  • 8' or 4' linear fluorescent bulbs
  • Compact fluorescent bulbs
  • Linear fluorescent bulbs such as - tanning bulbs,
    grow bulbs, black lights and smaller (12", 18",
    24" etc.) bulbs
  • U-tubes
  • Circular fluorescent bulbs
  • HID car headlights (appear blue when lit)
  • High Intensity Discharge (HID) bulbs (such as
    mercury vapor, metal halide, etc.)

14
Next Steps
  • General Discussions
  • Health Department Donna Moultrup
  • Department of Public Works Peter Castanino
  • Scanlon Associates Pat Scanlon
  • Consultant for NESWC
  • Identify model programs
  • Meeting
  • Discuss alternatives
  • Pilot a program
  • Report Back

15
Questions?
  • Jeri Weiss
  • 617.489.4119
Write a Comment
User Comments (0)
About PowerShow.com