Desk Lamp Mercury

I got a new desk lamp from Staples and it has a warning about mercury. THe fluorescent bulb that came with it has the same warning. Am I right in assuming th emercury refered to the SBCFL? THe switch rotates on the same axis as the buld screws in, so given the gooseneck, I have no reason to believe the switch works with mercury (ie, gravity). Am I right?

- = - Vasos Panagiotopoulos, Columbia'81+, Reagan, Mozart, Pindus, BioStrategist

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On 1/26/2011 10:45 PM snipped-for-privacy@at.BioStrategist.dot.dot.com spake thus:

Dang, I hope so. As far as I know, the only kinds of mercury switches in common use, aside from speciality ones, are ordinary household light switches. They're talking about the CFL.

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Reply to
David Nebenzahl

One of the most common mercury switches in households for generations, has been the mercury switch located in wall heating system thermostats.. very well sealed in glass that used to be considerably thicker than CFL tube glass (yes, I've broken the t-stat ones to get the mercury, but that was older ones).

-- Cheers, WB .............

Reply to
Wild_Bill

** Mercury switches and even Mercury thermometers have been banned from sale in most places for a long time.

However, fluoro lamps using tiny amounts of Mercury (allegedly 5 to 20mg each ) are still allowed.

As are swordfish.

Dunno about Columbia.

.... Phil

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Phil Allison

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Of course!

Reply to
hrhofmann

Thermostats commonly have mercury switches.

Isaac

Reply to
isw

Mercury switches and thermostats were banned in California starting in Jan 2008. Most other states have enacted similar bans. There's also a ban making it illegal to dispose of anything containing mercury in a landfill.

More likely, the warning is for the fuorescent tube, which contains about 4mg of mercury. This might explain a few details:

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Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com
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Jeff Liebermann

Thanks - I DO think so (mercury would either be used for temperature or gravity), but the label is pretty stupid ("COntains Mercury. Dispose of accordingly. lamprecycle.org") it makes it look like the fixture and not the bulb has the mercury.

BTW, this same new $12.99 gooseneck desk lamp from Staples topples over too easily. Center of gravity is all wrong. Lucky I use LED lamps because if I had used the CFL I wudda had a fire already. THe dang lens from the LED popped off. I am going to find something either heavy or wide to attach to the base.

- = - Vasos Panagiotopoulos, Columbia'81+, Reagan, Mozart, Pindus, BioStrategist

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vjp2.at

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"lamprecycle.org" if you went there...does not recycle fixtures or appliances. It would have explained what your asking. The "gooseneck" I bought from Staples was a "Tensor" and has a cast- iron disc in the base. (Works well with CFL)

Reply to
Bob Villa
*+-"lamprecycle.org" if you went there...does not recycle fixtures or

True - but the label is still at least misleading

Lamp usually refers to fixture, bulb to bulb..

*+-appliances. It would have explained what your asking. *+-The "gooseneck" I bought from Staples was a "Tensor" and has a cast- *+-iron disc in the base. (Works well with CFL)

The one that needed replacing had a cast iron disc at the base. Unfortunately the old neck got unscrewed from the base too much when I moved it around, overtwisting the wires. And the wires where riveted onto the scoket, and my (stock drawer) 600W sockets didn't fit where the old 60W riveted socket was.

THis one (e101956 MN 13061 003 UL g137) doens't seem to have a base weight (haven't opened it though).

- = - Vasos Panagiotopoulos, Columbia'81+, Reagan, Mozart, Pindus, BioStrategist

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vjp2.at

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