Are Mercury-Containing Lights Doomed to Extinction?

[Nonya]

Ok, I am out this is just dumb.

If you want to believe the sky is falling then buy LEDs and be secure in your sanctity.

Nah. The sky isn't falling, but mercury is on the way out.
Try again.

 

[HuduVudu]

Nah. The sky isn't falling, but mercury is on the way out.
Try again.

Come back when it happens.

 

[Nonya]

Seems to me MH are getting another extension to the exemption for ROHS:

blob:https://ec.europa.eu/99a938b7-4547-4f59-85ab-04e769f138d1

EN 4 EN
COMMISSION DELEGATED DIRECTIVE (EU) .../...
of 13.12.2021
amending, for the purposes of adapting to scientific and technical progress, Annex III to
Directive 2011/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards an
exemption for the use of mercury in metal halide lamps
(Text with EEA relevance)
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Directive 2011/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of
8 June 2011 on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and
electronic equipment1, and in particular Article 5(1), point (a), thereof,
Whereas:
(1) Directive 2011/65/EU requires Member States to ensure that electrical and electronic
equipment placed on the market does not contain the hazardous substances listed in
Annex II to that Directive. That restriction does not apply to certain exempted
applications listed in Annex III to that Directive.
(2) The categories of electrical and electronic equipment to which Directive 2011/65/EU
applies are listed in Annex I to that Directive.
(3) Mercury is a restricted substance listed in Annex II to Directive 2011/65/EU.
(4) By Decision 2010/571/EU2, the Commission granted, among other things, an
exemption for the use of mercury in metal halide lamps (‘the exemption’), which is
now listed as exemption 4(e) in Annex III to Directive 2011/65/EU. The exemption
was to expire on 21 July 2016, in accordance with Article 5(2), second subparagraph,
point (a), of that Directive.
(5) Mercury is used in metal halide lamps to improve the colour, efficiency, lifetime, and
the stable operation of those specific lamps.
(6) On 15 January 2015, the Commission received an application for renewal of the
exemption (‘the renewal application’) that is within the time limit laid down in Article
5(5) of Directive 2011/65/EU. An updated renewal application was submitted on 20
January 2020. In accordance with Article 5(5) of that Directive, the exemption remains
valid until a decision on the renewal application has been adopted.
(7) The evaluation of the renewal application, which took into account the availability of
substitutes and the socioeconomic impact of substitution, concluded that the
substitution or elimination of mercury in the applications concerned is currently
technically impracticable. The evaluation included stakeholder consultations in
accordance with Article 5(7) of Directive 2011/65/EU. The comments received during
those consultations were made publicly available on a dedicated website.
(8) The exemption is consistent with Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European
Parliament and of the Council3 and thus does not weaken the environmental and health
protection afforded by it.
(9) It is therefore appropriate to grant the renewal of the exemption for a maximum period
of five years, in accordance with Article 5(2), first subparagraph, of Directive
2011/65/EU. In view of the results of the ongoing efforts to find a reliable substitution,
the duration of the exemption is unlikely to have adverse impacts on innovation

You need to see what's exempted. It's not a blanket exemption for all lighting, but to certain things like UV sterilization bulbs, etc. Wait until Feb 2023 to see where things lie.

 

[Nonya]

Come back when it happens.

By this time next year I predict halides will be well over $100--if you can find them.

 

[Nonya]

If you want to believe the sky is falling then buy LEDs and be secure in your sanctity.

I have a dozen Radion Pros. How many more should I buy?

 

[CNDReef]

By this time next year I predict halides will be well over $100--if you can find them.

I hope you’re right or you will be bashed forever

 

[Brian_68]

You need to see what's exempted. It's not a blanket exemption for all lighting, but to certain things like UV sterilization bulbs, etc. Wait until Feb 2023 to see where things lie.

There is no need to wait, it was extended for 5 years. It is not like you wait to the day it is supposedly banned and see what happens. Best to read the actual regulations and the extension they granted.

Here is some more info on it:

https://www.tuvsud.com/en-us/e-ssentials-newsletter/consumer-products-and-retail-essentials/e-ssentials-4-2022/eu-ec-ends-certain-rohs-mercury-exemptions-in-lamps

See table A:

4(e)

Mercury in metal halide lamps (MH)

Expires on 24 February 2027

Directive (EU) 2022/27811 Remark: Exemption is renewed.

 

[Nonya]

I hope you’re right or you will be bashed forever

Meh

 

[Yanir34]

The best way to grow corals is MH / Hybrid T5 (main source of light) and little bits of Leds.
I am glowing corals since 2007 - the best results for my corals was always MH + t5.

 

[Nonya]

There is no need to wait, it was extended for 5 years. It is not like you wait to the day it is supposedly banned and see what happens. Best to read the actual regulations and the extension they granted.

Here is some more info on it:

https://www.tuvsud.com/en-us/e-ssentials-newsletter/consumer-products-and-retail-essentials/e-ssentials-4-2022/eu-ec-ends-certain-rohs-mercury-exemptions-in-lamps

See table A:

4(e)

Mercury in metal halide lamps (MH)

Expires on 24 February 2027

Directive (EU) 2022/27811 Remark: Exemption is renewed.

Interesting. Well , they're on their way out due to the direction the market is going. From the survey, less than 2% of people use just halides over their corals.

It looks like most fluorescents didn't get renewed.

 

[Nonya]

The best way to grow corals is MH / Hybrid T5 (main source of light) and little bits of Leds.
I am glowing corals since 2007 - the best results for my corals was always MH + t5.

Interesting. I went from 14,000K MH and actinic VHOs to DIY LEDs and my tank exploded with growth.

 

[Nonya]

Am I correct in thinking this applies to T-5s used in the hobby? They're currently much more popular than MH.

2(a)(2)

Tri-band phosphor with normal lifetime and a tube diameter ≥ 9 mm and ≤ 17 mm (e.g. T5): 3 mg

Expires on 24 August 2023

 

[jda]

No. You are wrong again. As you have been told before, and correctly, our lights are in the ultraviolet sections. Renewed until 2027 at least. I imagine that you will yet again be alone with the opinion that this is not correct, but nearly everything that has been typed in this thread by people other than you was right, and still will continue to be.

 

[Slocke]

I haven't read most of this thread so apologies if I missed something.

So my real job is cleaning up hazardous waste spills, emergencies or almost emergencies.
Mercury is the absolute worst the smallest amount is considered highly toxic and it gets everywhere. When there is a spill this is what we do when we get called to a household spill. We grab a mercury vapor sensor and anything that comes up gets taken and destroyed, couches, beds, floors. If it can't be wiped off and gets into it, it's gone. This takes forever, is an absolute pain in the ____, and does not make us any friends. (Not even to mention the health issues)


Trust me mercury is not worth it!!

 

[Brian_68]

No. You are wrong again. As you have been told before, and correctly, our lights are in the ultraviolet sections. Renewed until 2027 at least. I imagine that you will yet again be alone with the opinion that this is not correct, but nearly everything that has been typed in this thread by people other than you was right, and still will continue to be.

Incorrect, actinic light bulbs peak at 420 nm, UV only goes to 400 nm. Aquarium t-5 light bulbs are not considered UV light bulbs under the classification. Germicidal, tanning bed bulbs, black light, bug zapper bulbs all are designed specifically to emit UV. Aquarium t-5 bulbs do not peak in the UV range. Most T-5 barely hit on the UV on the tail end: https://www.atinorthamerica.com/lighting/t5-bulbs/

 

[Yanir34]

Interesting. I went from 14,000K MH and actinic VHOs to DIY LEDs and my tank exploded with growth.

The spectrum is different, the spread is different.....I tried to grow true acro's with LED's.
it is not the same !!

 

[Nonya]

No. You are wrong again. As you have been told before, and correctly, our lights are in the ultraviolet sections. Renewed until 2027 at least. I imagine that you will yet again be alone with the opinion that this is not correct, but nearly everything that has been typed in this thread by people other than you was right, and still will continue to be.

Gosh.

 

[Nonya]

The spectrum is different, the spread is different.....I tried to grow true acro's with LED's.
it is not the same !!

I understand what you're saying. My experience was the exact opposite, but mine were DIY and spread out about 2"-3" apart. 1/3 blue, 1/3 royal blue, 1/3 white. The blues were run at 100%, and the whites at about 1/3 intensity. When a slow growing pocillopora meandrina gets a dozen points of new growth on a single lobe, you know something's going right. When it comes to the retail LEDs, I can see how people may have problems. They make it too easy to change spectrum, and the manufacturers don't necessarily get the combination of colors right.

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

No. You are wrong again. As you have been told before, and correctly, our lights are in the ultraviolet sections. Renewed until 2027 at least. I imagine that you will yet again be alone with the opinion that this is not correct, but nearly everything that has been typed in this thread by people other than you was right, and still will continue to be.

Lol don't feed the troll! He'll never go away

 

[Nonya]

Incorrect, actinic light bulbs peak at 420 nm, UV only goes to 400 nm. Aquarium t-5 light bulbs are not considered UV light bulbs under the classification.

The real shame is, if it's true that T-5s will be banned in Europe next year, that the second most popular, and arguably the best coral grower in many people's experience, would be unavailable (at least from European manufacturers), while MH apparently gets an 11th hour reprieve. Maybe the big 4 German manufacturers will shift production to China.