To answer those in order:
The mere fact that it releases smoke and can drip molten plastic is a hazard that UL should have caught. They are not perfect but this is IMHO a huge oversight on their part. And of course until UL drops the listing the manufacturers aren't going to put in any end-of-life fuses. (Which BTW would cost no more than 5-10 cents each in production quantities.)
Yes I have seen a MV fuse go off under a fault...but bad comparison.
How many people have MV fuses installed in their bedrooms?
Yes I have seen arc lamp envelopes fail...again, bad comparison.
How many arc lamps are in people's bedrooms? And the fixtures are supposed to be designed to contain the hot glass from such a failure.
Many years without seatbelts, but then cars were made of heavy steel and not recycled beer cans and plastic. :roll: Cars are somewhat safer now, but we've added the risks of burns, deafness and fractured arms from airbag deployments as a tradeoff, but that is I will agree better than a fatality, but then again, if cars were made of heavier/stronger materials...and there HAVE been house fires due to CFL's and don't know how many, if any fatalities.
BUT UL is supposed to protect LIVES AND PROPERTY.
I agree it is called perspective, and that's what I'm arguing here, some folks don't seem to get it at all or are downplaying the hazard. A CFL that fails with smoke, melting plastic or flames in an open fixture in some warehouse or garage environment poses little hazard. Move that same failure to a bedroom or living area and now it can be a big deal.
I am familiar with the Serenity prayer, and this whole debate to me is about the second phrase: "The courage to change the things I can." With enough time to gather solid data, you can bet that I would be willing to fight to have the listings revoked until design changes are made.
Bob, I don't waste my time on emotion, least of all on a public forum. I am just dismayed that there are those who don't seem to think this is a problem. I do not lose sleep over their opinions but I do everything I can to make changes in my little corner of the world. See my answers to Laszlo above.
Money does indeed make the world go round. Look at it this way: Say I make CFL's to the current standards, and one of my CFL's has its normal end-of-life failures, and sets a house on fire, killing a family and their kids. The relatives sue my company for millions of dollars for
marketing a product with a known issue....if the suit doesn't drive me out of business for good it will radically increase my overhead in insurance. Now let's say I choose to do the right thing, and spend the extra 10 cents to add a safety fuse to my CFL's. Reaches end-of-life, fuse pops, light goes out,
I sell MORE because the consumer isn't scared away from my product because it DID NOT SMOKE, MELT OR FLAME OUT when it died.
To re-quote weressl, It's a matter of perspective.
Example: The Sylvania CFL I referred to earlier in this thread simply quit working. No drama, smoke or smell. So I would buy them again no problem. In fact it appears to have some sort of fuse in line with the hot lead...hmmmmmm.
Denial..isn't that somewhere in Egypt?
