Queensland government offers free CFL lamps

Monday, 17 November, 2008

The Queensland government is giving away 1 million environmentally friendly Megaman compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) with the expectation that it would reduce Queensland greenhouse gas emission by 72,000 tonnes a year. The 'Big light switch' campaign commenced 9 November 2008.

At an estimated cost of $3.5 million, the Megaman 15 W tubular 12,000-hour CFLs were selected on the basis of value for money as well as the environmentally friendly production process of the lamps. All Megaman lamps employ amalgam, recyclable plastic, plastic lamp base, water-based adhesive and phosphors, and are RoHS (Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances) compliant.

Amalgam is used in place of liquid mercury in the fabrication of the lamps, which is in stable solid physical form. It is an alloy of mercury combined with other metals to provide an eco-friendlier and safer alternative to liquid mercury because mercury vapour is not released until it reaches high temperatures at approximately 100 ^oC. So at room temperatures, the mercury is contained within the alloy and doesn’t escape, even if the lamp breaks.